Skylanders: Down to Earth
by Hootie Hoot
Summary: When a hidden portal on Earth sends best friends Claire and Matt to Skylands, they find the popular video game is very much reality. Armed with the magic of the portals, the two must team up with the Skylanders to combat the encroaching threat of conquest and corruption on both worlds, forging friendships and growing ever-stronger in an inter-dimensional adventure.
1. Chapter 1: Up in the Air

**Skylanders: Down to Earth**

By Hootie Hoot

_Disclaimer: The only piece of intellectual property under my ownership in this story is Claire. Matt belongs to my co-editor (who shall remain anonymous for now), and the Skylanders and all other affiliated characters, settings, etc. all belong to their respective owners._

Chapter 1: Up in the Air

It was the day after Christmas, and it could not have been more perfect. Claire had received everything she had asked for on Christmas morning, attended an extravagant feast that same evening, and to top it all off, she had awoken this morning to find her backyard buried beneath an entire foot of snow!

Only hesitating to catch her cat, Pouncer, in a death hug as thanks for waking her up to the fantastic sight (for snow was rare in the southern U.S.), she had completely garbed herself in stylish winter clothing and rushed outside to take full advantage of the situation.

Her flowing chocolate scarf dipped into the snow as she knelt down to start rolling a snowball into the base of a snowman. While she worked, she couldn't help but marvel at her good fortune.

_I cannot believe how much I lucked out today! _She thought excitedly_. The boys are still hooked on that new Skylanders game inside, so I get all this fresh snow to myself! At least for now…_

Claire had assisted her younger brothers in setting up the game on their Wii console the previous day, and had even played a few levels with them. She was seriously impressed with the game mechanics, particularly with how the little Skylander figurines kept track of their upgrades and collectibles outside of the game, and how they could seamlessly transfer over to an entirely different console! She made a mental note to keep an eye out for the toys whenever she went shopping.

Claire was about to start on the middle section of her snowman when something glistening caught her eye. The shiny thing appeared to be nestled into the snow several yards away. Curious, the girl abandoned her half-finished snowman (Snowman: *sniffle*) and trudged through the white slush over to it. She knelt down and tried to uncover it, but she soon realized that the light was not the reflective surface of a shiny object, but actually a shimmering glow coming from something in the underlying ground.

Claire brushed away more snow with her gloved hand, to the point where the muddy ground was almost completely uncovered. What she saw shocked and confused her. The ground _itself _seemed be the source of the glow! She could feel warmth emanating from it, and it seemed to be drawing her toward it. She decided to be adventurous and risk a touch. She carefully placed her spread palm on top of the swirling surface…

_SHEEEEOOOOW!_

"WH-WHAT THE-?!"

Showers of white light sparkling in bright colors burst upward and engulfed the now terrified girl, but before she could even register another response—

_KA-FLASH!_

—she was gone.

Had Claire's brain not entered TOTAL OVER 9000 PANIC MODE, she probably would have noticed that during her little warp trip, her feet didn't feel as if they left the ground. But at the same time, her body would've felt the urge to fly upwards, as if she had been thrown. Of course, all she could think about now was: "WHATTHEFLIPPINGMICKEYMOUSEBAZINGAHECKWASTHATCOFFE ESHINYFREAKINCRAP!"

…or something like that.

Anyway, Claire was suddenly jerked downward again, and she hit the snowy ground still standing, but toppled over as the colors and lights faded away. Random shapes and dots were flying across her vision as a side effect from the shock, but she forced her eyes to refocus and shakily rose to her feet.

The surrounding landscape was snow-covered, so for a second, Claire thought she was still in her backyard. _Maybe that thing was some sort of light trap meant to scare people?_ She thought. _Maybe Matt put it there to scare me?_ _That's the best thing I can come up with..._

That changed when she saw an island float by.

"Wait...WHAT?!"

Yeah...who here is surprised? Aside from Claire, of course.

Indeed, all around her, small islands hung suspended in the air, seemingly with nothing supporting them.

Claire quickly remembered where she had seen such a place, but she was only 100% positive of where she was when a white, cartoony-looking sheep with big eyes pranced along, bleating happily.

"I'm in...Skylands?" she questioned aloud as the sheep bounced away. "Oh. My. God. Skylands is real!" Then something else hit her. "That thing I stepped on must have been a portal!"

She paused. "…I really hope I'm not dreaming. _Please_ don't let me be dreaming! This is too cool…" She held her breath, and then exhaled in a deflating sigh. "There's no way this is real, even if it feels real. I'm just gonna wake up disappointed. Oh, well. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

She was about to take her first step towards exploring Skylands when a flaming arrow embedded itself into the ground in front of her, dangerously close to her right foot. Claire jumped in surprise, but then froze like a deer in the headlights, her brain forgetting to blare the "BECOME A MOVING TARGET!" alarms (they had probably been nullified by the TOTAL OVER 9000 blah-biddy-blah). She searched her thankfully fresh memory of the enemies of Skylands, but couldn't recall any of the ones she'd seen wielding lit arrows.

She was, however, fairly certain that she had seen such an archer on the poster that came with the game. It had listed all of the obtainable figurines, and Claire remembered a Fire Skylander with a bow and arrow. Perhaps the shooter was a friend rather than foe?

"You're in the line of fire! ...Mine!" A voice with a French accent rang out. Claire risked a look around and saw someone jump down from a nearby hill and run towards her, nocking a smoldering arrow to his bow as he did. The stranger stopped a few feet in front of her, but then hesitated.

He was a green-skinned elf, about Claire's height with long ears and blue hair raked back into a short-cropped ponytail. He wore a tunic of orange-golden scales over a brown shirt and a brown pair of pants and boots. His most striking feature was a red blindfold wrapped over his eyes and around his head. In other words, a perfect description of the Skylander from the poster. Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

The elf seemed to hear her, for he leaned forward as if to peer at her more closely with his covered eyes and then cocked his head to the side like he was listening for any further noise.

"...Oh," the Skylander muttered. Now he seemed embarrassed. He lowered his bow and returned the now extinguished arrow to his quiver.

"…Sorry about that," the Skylander said sheepishly. (Sheep: "Baaah!") "I heard a loud explosion and thought it might be a Boom Fiend. Hope I didn't scare you too bad."

By this point, Claire's skepticism regarding the reality of the situation was greatly outweighed by her curiosity regarding this strange Skylander.

"Okay, seriously, how can you tell I'm _not_ a Boom-whatever?" she asked him. "Is that blindfold transparent or something?"

The elf laughed, sounding genuinely amused. "I don't need to see you to know you're not a Boom Fiend. All I have to do is listen for them. They have the creepiest laugh in all of Skylands." He shuddered, obviously disturbed just by the thought of it.

_So that's how he gets around_, Claire thought. _He listens with those huge elf ears of his. Wait…he said 'Skylands'. I guess that confirms where I am, given I'm not dreaming. That and the fact that I can't think of any other video game world where some dude runs around blindfolded._

…

*Cough* *Mortal Kombat* *Cough*

"You're obviously not from around here," the Skylander continued. Claire shook her head.

"Nope. Not even close..." She muttered as an afterthought, but then hesitated. As strange as Skylands was, would this Skylander really believe her if she told him that she came from another world? But then what would it matter if she was dreaming?

Claire quickly settled on an answer. "But I know about the Skylanders!" she said hurriedly. "I mean, you guys are kind of a big deal after all. You're…Flameshooter, right?"

The archer visibly deflated at hearing that. "Er…actually, it's Flame_slinger,_" he mumbled, sounding disappointed rather than annoyed. Claire mentally berated herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized, feeling horrible for getting his name wrong. She knew how it felt.

Flameslinger brightened back up immediately. "Oh, don't worry about it! It wouldn't be the first time someone's gotten my name wrong. I get it all the time," he reassured her.

Claire perked up at hearing this. "Really? Oh my gosh, me too!" she enthused. "My name is Claire, but I've gotten Clarisse, Clarissa, and even Claudia! It's really frickin' annoying, which is why I felt so bad about getting your name wrong…" she trailed off.

Flameslinger gave her a warm smile. "Well, Claire, I think I like your name better than any of the ones you listed off."

Claire returned the smile, even though she knew he probably couldn't see it. "Likewise," she said.

The elf held out a hand and Claire shook it firmly, maintaining eye contact (sort of).

This continued for a few seconds before Flameslinger suddenly jerked up. "That's right!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot why I came over here! I definitely heard an explosion coming from this very spot! Do you know what that was? And now that I think about it, you never said where you were from. There aren't any houses around here after all," he said.

Claire felt a shockwave of guilt pass through her brain. She couldn't lie to him now, could she? Not after he had acted so nice…But how would he react to hearing that he was just a video game character back on her world?

Claire sighed. Maybe she wouldn't mention that part just yet. "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but it's the truth," she started, and she could've sworn she saw Flameslinger's ears twitch, as if he was listening more intently now. "I'm not from Skylands. I'm from a world called 'Earth', and I touched a portal a few minutes ago, which is what caused that explosion you heard earlier."

To Claire's utter surprise, Flameslinger did not look at her like she was crazy. Rather, he appeared thoughtful, and brought a hand to his chin. "I thought that sounded more like a portal flash than a Boom Fiend's bomb," he mused, then hesitated. "…Wait a minute! You're from Earth? That means you're a human?!" he exclaimed.

Claire took a step back, unsure of how to gauge his reaction. "Um, yes, I am a human. Is that bad?" she asked, the quiver in her voice betraying her worry.

Flameslinger looked apologetic for making her uneasy, for he put up his hands in a calming gesture and said quickly, "No, not at all! It's just…alarming is all. Humans have never come to Skylands, and furthermore, I thought it was impossible for them to use portals…" he fell silent, and Claire was unsure of what to say.

Finally, the elf spoke again. "…If it's okay with you," he said carefully. "I think you should come back with me to consult Master Eon about this. He's my portal master…oh, but you already knew that, didn't you?" he asked, recalling her previous knowledge of the Skylanders. She nodded, wondering if he could sense the action. "I don't know what effect a human's presence would have on Skylands," he continued, clearly not expecting her to answer. "But I'm sure Eon does. So what do you say?"

Claire decided she had nothing to lose. "Sure. I don't know how this happened either, and I'd like to know how to get home," she said.

Flameslinger looked pleased at her answer. "Great! I'm just about finished up here, anyway. Come on, the balloon's this way!" With that, he started walking in the direction he came, and Claire moved alongside him, keeping pace.

"So, what were you doing here before you found me?" Claire asked him.

"Oh, just a standard troll removal. A few dozen moved in here and started terrorizing the local wildlife."

Claire was so surprised at hearing this, she almost stopped walking. "A few dozen? And you came here to take care of them all by yourself?" she asked, dumbstruck.

Flameslinger 'looked' back at her. "Sure. Any Skylander can take care of trolls with one arm tied behind their back," he said proudly.

She gave him a skeptical look, and again wondered if he could 'see' it. "Really? One arm, huh? What, can your arrows magically shoot themselves or something?"

Flameslinger gave her that hearty French laugh again. "Arrows are not my only weapons, Claire," he said mischievously.

Claire was caught by surprise yet again, but before she could ask about what other 'weapons' he might have hidden somewhere, the elf's ears pricked up and he threw himself in front of her protectively. "Stay behind me!" he hissed.

Claire immediately stopped dead in her tracks and looked around for anything dangerous. "…What is it?" she whispered to him uneasily.

Flameslinger slowly swept his head from side to side, dowsing the area with his keen hearing. "Sounds like I missed a few," he muttered.

Just then, six of the ugliest creatures Claire had ever seen jumped out from behind the surrounding snow covered hills and leveled their weapons (consisting of enormous wrenches and sturdy blasters) at them, shouting something incoherently in their own language.

The trolls were green-skinned with long ears, similar to Flameslinger but where the elf was trim and well-groomed, the trolls were squat and misshapen. Greedy little eyes and bulbous noses bulged out of their scowling faces, and all of them sported bronze armor.

Claire was pretty convinced that they wouldn't be open to peaceful negotiation, and that battle would be the only way out. But as those thoughts crossed her mind, her eyes drifted to Flameslinger's bow and arrows, which he, for some reason, hadn't yet reached for. They remained slung over his back, and the elf appeared not to have any inclination of grabbing them. What on Earth (er…Skylands?) was he thinking?

Almost as if he had read her thoughts, Flameslinger 'glanced' back at her and smirked, and although they were outnumbered, the gesture made Claire feel somewhat better about the situation. "I told you, Claire," he said, sticking his arm through the belt of the quiver and against his back. "One arm tied behind my back. Now, don't move!"

With that, Flameslinger suddenly sprinted forward at incredible speed, and to Claire's utter amazement, a wall of fire flared up behind him in the exact places he had stepped! Before the trolls could even blink, he had dashed in a circle around the first three, magically causing a pillar of bright orange flames to erupt from the ground within the area he had enclosed. The trolls cried out in dismay as the column of fire engulfed them, and then died back down to nothing to reveal that the ugly creatures were gone.

Claire scarcely had time to register this awesome display before the quick-footed elf performed the same trick on the remaining three trolls, assaulting them with rising flames once again. By the time Flameslinger had run back to rejoin Claire, the only things left of the trolls were scorched earth and melted snow, as well as two clusters of mysterious, multi-colored floating lights that bounced in place.

Claire was left speechless as the strange lights were absorbed into Flameslinger, and the now smug-looking elf smiled at her as he removed his arm from his quiver's strap. "Magical fire boots," he explained, holding out a foot to emphasize his point. "Great for keeping enemies off my tail if they get too close."

Finally able to speak again, Claire golf-clapped. "That was awesome!" she cheered, but became serious quickly. "But what happened to the trolls? There's no trace of them." She peered closer at the scorched ground. "And what were those lights?" she asked. None of it made any sense, and yet it seemed oddly familiar…

"Everything in Skylands consists of two parts," Flameslinger explained patiently. "Their physical form and their magical energy. Whenever someone is defeated in battle, they're drained of their magic, which is what those floating lights were. The victor can then claim that magic to make himself stronger."

"That…sounds really harsh, actually," Claire grimaced.

"Don't worry!" Flameslinger said quickly. "When someone is drained of their health that just means they need to rest. Their physical form is just transported back to wherever they came from. It happens with us Skylanders, too, only we use portals."

Claire wisely decided not to question that crazy logic anymore. "Well, now that that's established," she began. "Let's keep going. You said that there's a balloon this way, right?"

Flameslinger nodded. "Indeed I did. Let's go!" He took off down the (now-scorched) path again, and Claire followed alongside.

Before long, a brown and tan hot-air balloon peeked around one of the hills, and the duo walked up to meet a figure that Claire actually recognized.

Standing by the balloon was a tall, sturdily-built Mabu who appeared to be winking at an invisible target. He had a wide flat nose and an even wider flirtatious grin, and his pointed ears poked straight up through his aviator hat. Like Claire, he had a thing for brown clothing, consisting of a light brown jacket and boots and darker brown pants, shirt, belt and gloves that covered his large hands. A long red scarf was wrapped around his neck.

The pilot was so caught up in flirting with nothing that he didn't notice the two approach until they were standing in front of him, at which point he quickly regained some posture and greeted them. "Hey, there, Flameslinger," he drawled in his comically deep and, Claire thought, very familiar-sounding voice. "Wowsers, that was fast! So, who's your little friend here?"

Claire held out a hand. "I'm Claire. You must be Flynn the balloonist," she said, positive that she had gotten the name right this time. Flameslinger looked over at her in surprise.

"You know Flynn?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow.

Before Claire could say anything, Flynn grinned, looking extremely pleased, and said, "Well, of course she does! Is there anyone who doesn't know about the greatest pilot in all of Skylands?" He brought his voice down low. "That'd be me, by the way," he winked at Claire, before suddenly jumping up and flexing his muscles. "BOOM!"

Flameslinger decided to let the matter go, and instead turned back to Flynn. "I'd like to take her to see Master Eon. You don't mind if she rides with us, do you?"

"Of course not!" Flynn said. "Any devoted fan of Flynn the balloonist deserves a ride with…Flynn the balloonist." He flashed a smile.

"Thanks!" Claire smiled. "I've never taken a balloon ride before."

Flynn's grin grew even wider. "Then you're in for an extra-special treat!" he said enthusiastically. "Let's weigh anchor! …Well, sandbags." He held open the door of the basket for the elf and the girl to step into before following himself.

After a few preparations were completed, the balloon slowly lifted into the air, and Claire marveled at the glittering landscape below. She had really been missing out!

Flameslinger, on the other hand, was regarding Claire suspiciously. He understood how she had known about the Skylanders: she had said herself that they were a big deal. But Flynn wasn't nearly as famous as he claimed to be. So how had she known about him? She'd even gotten his name right…

Flynn, of course, was focused on inwardly praising himself, which became evident when the balloon basket suddenly lurched back and forth, having hit a snowy hill crest. Claire was knocked around and Flameslinger steadied her, obviously used to Flynn's flying.

After Claire muttered a word of thanks to Flameslinger, the two glared over at Flynn, who seemed not to notice. "Wowsers!" he proclaimed. "You know, not just any pilot can hit a snow-covered hilltop with such precision."

"…"

"…"

"…Don't worry. You can thank me later."

Claire and Flameslinger groaned. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

**Hey, guys! I'm Hootie Hoot, and since you clicked the link to my first story, let me be the first (and probably only) to say thank you.**

**Since this is my first story, I know it's not going to be perfect (Hey, what story is? There's always room for improvement, I say.), so any feedback-except for flames, of course-would be greatly appreciated. If anything doesn't sit right with you readers, be it grammatical, canonical, lame humor, etc., I am perfectly open to suggestions as to how to fix it.**

**For information regarding this story, check out my profile: I recently posted a few quick facts about the story so that you can figure out whether or not it sounds like something you'll want to read.  
**

**I believe that's owl for now. Hootie Hoot out!**

**...**

**...Do I already have a catchphrase? Hoo, boy...**


	2. Chapter 2: Under Ground?

Chapter 2: Under Ground?

Matthew couldn't understand it.

He had woken up like any teenager the day after Christmas: bleary and unwilling to exit the bed. He might've slept half the day away had his cat, Tiger, not sat on top of him and meowed in his face until the boy agreed to get up and feed him.

After he had set down the re-filled bowl of food, he turned straight back toward his bed, but stopped when he passed his bedroom window. The normally calm and reserved Matt had transformed upon the white sight that met his eyes.

"Ermagerd," he muttered out the side of his mouth. "Shnow!"

He wasted no time in dressing himself warmly, only stopping to stuff his cell phone into his thick hoodie and to bow to his cat with his arms outstretched as if the feline was a holy monument. Then he sprinted out the door towards his best friend Claire's yard, not bothering to comb his mess of dark auburn waves.

Upon arrival to her backyard however, he found a set of her footprints (her boots had X's on the bottom) that ended abruptly in the middle of her wooded backyard. A half-finished snowman stood nearby, looking depressed about being left abandoned (if that was possible).

_…The heck?_ Matthew thought. He shuffled closer to the end of the tracks and, to his surprise, right where the last two footprints were embedded, the ground appeared to be glowing! The closer he approached, the brighter it glowed, to the point where a shimmering, swirling mist rose into the air around him. Had Claire installed a fog machine here?

Not quite sure what to think, he reached with his foot to touch the spiraling surface…

_SHEEEEOOOOW!_

"…odd."

_KA-FLASH!_

…then he was gone.

* * *

Like Claire before him, Matthew was aware of a hurtling sensation, as if a spring had launched him into the air along with the ground he was standing on. He also saw the same bursts of light and color all around him. Unlike Claire, he failed to experience TOTAL OVER 9000 PANIC MODE, for, as far he knew, he lacked a panic button.

When the lights and feeling of movement faded, Matt stood standing with wide eyes, partly from surprise and partly from the fact that his new surroundings were very dark. He seemed to be in a dungeon of some sort, for torches lining the stone walls offered only minimal lighting. The few parts of the room that were illuminated were strewn with spider webs and littered with piles of bones of unidentifiable origin.

Matthew stood speechless for a few seconds, listening to the sound of some small creature skittering somewhere close by. Then he sighed.

"Matty, mah boi," he said to himself. "You should've realized you were dreaming when you saw the snow outside your window. But what _really _should have tipped you off," he chastised. "Was the unfinished snowman. I'm mean, seriously, what chance in heck would Claire leave a snowman unfinished? Now Chuck Norris is probably gonna jump out of nowhere to fix this impossibility."

Right on cue, Matthew heard a clanking noise echoing down one of the dim hallways nearby; it sounded like the footsteps of someone wearing metal boots. Matt looked over and saw an increasingly bright flame encased in metal that seemed to be jogging towards him. Had one of the torches jumped off of the wall and donned a suit of armor?

Matt remained calm, however, as the flaming armor called out in a masculine voice with a rather thick Cockney accent, "Oy, down there! Would you be needing some assistance?"

The armor slowed to a walk as it drew closer to Matt, and Matt was now clearly able to see around him with the light from the fire the stranger provided. The armor was blue and silver, and although it was about as tall as Matthew (not counting the tip of the flame spouting out of the top) it was stocky and sturdy-looking. There was a large opening in the front that looked like it should have been merged eyeholes, but only flames resided where the eyes would be. The armor's hand held a serrated sword that burned almost as brightly as the rest of the suit.

Matthew stared at the strange sight before him. "Well, Chuck Norris," he began. "I always knew you were awesome, but it never occurred to me that you could ignite yourself and speak in a Cockney accent."

If the suit of armor had had eyes, Matt was pretty sure it would have been staring back at him with a confused expression. "Erm, I wouldn't know this 'Norris' fellow you're talking about," the armor said, sounding confused.

"Oh," Matt said, dumbstruck. If this guy wasn't Chuck Norris here to save the world from collapsing on itself, then who the heck was he? _Actually_, Matt thought, _he looks sort of familiar… _"Well, then who are you? …And why are you on fire?"

"My name's Ignitor," the armor said proudly. "I'm a knight, and a fire spirit. Unfortunately, I've been cursed; bound to this armor for eternity."

"Oh dear…That's harsh," Matt commiserated._ Ignitor_…he mused. _Now I'm sure I've heard that somewhere before!_

"Oh, it's not that bad," Ignitor reassured him. "It's been ever so useful ever since I became a Skylander."

It finally clicked. "Skylanders!" Matt nearly shouted, causing Ignitor to jump a little. "That's where I heard about you! That game that Claire was showing me yesterday…and you were on the poster!"

Ignitor's flame seemed to burn a bit more brightly, but Matthew couldn't identify what emotion this indicated until the knight began to speak excitedly. "A game? With me on the poster? Is this friend of yours hosting a tournament?" the knight could hardly contain himself.

"Uh…no," Matthew said slowly. He suddenly remembered the strange shiny thing he had stepped on back in Claire's yard. Now that he thought about it, that thing had looked a lot like the Portal of Power that had come with Claire's copy of _Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure_. And Claire's tracks in the snow had led right up to it and stopped abruptly…

Realization hit him harder than his cat's wake-up call. "…Oh, no." He dreadfully looked back over to the little pile of bones in the corner before turning back to the still-hyped up Ignitor. "Claire might be here!" he told the knight worriedly, and snapping him out of his excitement. "She might be lost! Or worse…"

Ignitor's fire started to burn lower; Matthew took it as a sign of seriousness. "A fair maiden lost in this horrid place? We must make haste! I've already checked most of the surrounding chambers, so if she's here, she won't be hard to find!"

"Righto, let's go!" Matthew made as if to run out the room, but then stopped. "…Where is 'here', exactly?" he asked the knight.

Ignitor seemed to hesitate. "We're in Cadaverous Crypt," he answered slowly, sounding uncertain. "But if you're here, why didn't you know that?"

_Should I tell him?_ Matthew thought. _Why not? Given the circumstances, he's probably heard weirder._

"Okay, so here's the truth: I'm from another world. Third from the sun to be exact. It's called 'Earth,' and I got here by stepping on one of those portal thingies while looking for my friend."

Ignitor turned slightly away from Matthew, as if in thought. "I didn't know there were portals on Earth. Much less that a human could use one…"

Matt quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, so you knew I was a human when you saw me? I didn't think there were any humans in Skylands."

"There aren't," Ignitor confirmed. "It's just that this place is home to many strange creatures. I thought you wouldn't be any exception."

"Fair point, although I feel like I should be taking offense."

"None meant."

"None taken."

"Good," Ignitor seemed to smile. "Now let's go find your friend. Tallyho!" the knight cried raising his sword and running off down the hall way from whence he had come. Matthew quickly followed suit (no pun intended).

For the next five minutes, the duo searched every cobweb-lined chamber and hallway they passed, Ignitor offering a constant source of illumination. They called Claire's name several times as well, to no avail. Finally, they reached a spiraling staircase that led upwards, although Matt couldn't see where it ended.

"Right then, now we can rest easy knowing she's not 'ere," Ignitor said, taking a seat on a fallen stone pillar. "That portal probably sent her someplace else."

Matthew decided that this was a good thing, for he couldn't imagine any other place in Skylands possibly being more dangerous than the crypt. Of course, they hadn't encountered more than a few spiders, which Ignitor had promptly taken care of with a few flaming sword swipes. Apparently, he had already taken care of most of the other enemies prior to Matthew's arrival.

"So I guess that means we can leave now?" Matthew asked. "Actually, come to think, what were you doing down here before you found me?"

"I was 'ere on a mission," the knight explained. "Some of the ghostly locals were complaining about a group of unruly zombies that had moved in 'ere recently. Spooking the spooks as it were."

Matthew couldn't believe his ears. "Whoa, whoa, wait. Back up. You came down here to fight zombies? By yourself?" he said skeptically.

"Of course!" Ignitor flared up in what Matthew guessed to be pride. "After all, only fire champions—such as myself—can defeat zombies." The fire dimmed again, as if the knight were in thought. "Well, there's also cannon fire. That works well, too, but cannons are hard to get a hold of. Hence why I'm 'ere."

Before Matthew could counter this insane zombie logic with some legit _Left 4 Dead _statistics, a nasty snarl sounded from nearby. Wasting no time, Ignitor sprang up from his seat and stood with his back to Matthew, brandishing his sword as he did.

"…Please tell me that's not what zombies sound like," Matthew half pleaded to Ignitor, who nodded.

"Afraid so," he muttered. The duo watched as a horde of five hideous creatures stumbled forth from the dark hallway in front of them. The zombies were all half green-skinned, half skeletonized with squared skulls and disproportionate body parts. They wore brown togas that, surprisingly, weren't tattered, and each bore only one large eye popping from their skulls.

As far as zombies went, they didn't look particularly menacing, but actually seeing a zombie in person added several points to the fear factor (again, no pun intended. Don't sue me.).

"Rotting Robbies," Ignitor said with disgust. He glanced back at Matt, flaring up as he did. "Stay behind me, sir!" the knight ordered, and it was then that Matt realized that he had yet to introduce himself to Ignitor. Matt stepped back further with a slight bow and his arm extended in a 'go ahead' gesture, and Ignitor turned back to the encroaching zombie horde.

One of the Robbies lurched too close, and the fiery knight swiftly slashed at it with his sword. He hadn't been kidding when he said that the zombies' only weakness was fire, for as soon as the attack connected, the Robbie's entire body caught alight, and quickly burned down until a small pile of smoldering ashes was all that remained.

As Matt looked on in mild surprise, Ignitor threateningly swung his sword at the remaining zombies, who seemed unfazed by their colleague's death and continued to lurch forward. "Have at thee!" Ignitor cried out, and hit another zombie with the same results as before.

But when he swung his sword for a third time, one of the zombies caught the blade in its teeth and forcefully yanked it out of Ignitor's grasp, flinging it towards the wall where it fell to the floor with a clatter.

Matt knew that the zombies couldn't so much as touch Ignitor without befalling the same fate as the little piles of ash on the floor, but he still decided that he would feel considerably safer with the sword back in the knight's grasp. Wasting no time, Matt shot off to the side to grab the weapon, careful to only touch the hilt, for the blade still burned brightly. Unfortunately, this drew the attention of the other zombies, who changed course and began to stumble toward Matt. Even with the fiery weapon in his hand, Matt knew he was outnumbered, and the sword was too heavy for him to use effectively; one swing would leave him wide open.

"Hang on, sir!" Ignitor called out to Matt. What happened next was enough to thoroughly surprise even Matt. Ignitor's armor stiffened up then launched a huge blob of fire right into the midst of the Robbie horde! The now-extinguished armor clanged to the ground in a crumpled heap, but the flame seemed to take on a very vaguely familiar shape with wispy arms and legs. Cackling in a high pitched voice, the flame started to run around with wild abandon, passing right through the Rotting (well, Burning) Robbies and setting them all ablaze.

With the threat neutralized, the flame stopped in front of Matt and looked at him with white-hot eyes. Matt stared back, at a loss for words regarding Ignitor's mind-blowing display of power. Then the flame suddenly jerked away from the boy and was pulled by an unseen force back into the cursed armor, which was back on its feet as soon as it was on fire again. The newly reunified Ignitor then walked over to Matt.

"That was a little too close for my liking," the knight remarked. "Are you alright? I didn't burn you, did I?"

Matt's eyes were about as wide as physically possible, and his throat was dry from inhaling the smoke from the still smoldering zombie remains. Nevertheless, he found his voice and managed to say something. "That. Was. Awesome sauce. But I thought you said you were bound to your armor for eternity?"

Ignitor nodded. "That I am, but I can leave the armor in my flame form for a few seconds at a time. Immensely useful for bouts such as the one we just encountered."

"Cool," Matt said dazedly. _I wish I could do that…_ Then he shook himself. "Oh, right! Here's your sword back," he said, handing the weapon hilt-first back to the knight, who took it gratefully. "My name's Matthew, by the way. But I also go by Matt or Matty."

"Well then, Matthew," Ignitor said cheerfully. "I think we've spent enough time down here, wouldn't you say?"

Matt had no objections. (Phoenix: OBJECTION!) "So how do we get out of here?" he asked. Ignitor gestured toward the spiral staircase, which seemed to disappear into the distant ceiling. Matt groaned, to which the knight laughed.

"Don't worry, it's not as far as it looks. Besides, we'll be back at Master Eon's citadel as soon as we're out. We can ask him about your friend's whereabouts then."

Matt brightened at hearing that and nodded gratefully to his new friend. As the boy and the knight began their ascent, Matthew's thoughts drifted to his lost friend, and wondered if she really was elsewhere in Skylands. As dangerous—and admittedly, scary—as the run-in with the zombies had been, Matt couldn't help but wonder if even worse dangers lurked outside the crypt. But then again, what if he were only dreaming? Everything had sure felt real, but…

Matt pushed those thoughts aside. Dream or no dream, he wouldn't rest until he knew his friend was safe. Just to be sure.

_Don't worry, Claire, _he thought with determination._ I'll find you._

* * *

**If you guys are wondering why I chose Flameslinger and Ignitor to be Claire and Matt's buddies, it's really just an inside joke between me and Matt's owner. And I don't know why I like Flameslinger so much: I know he's about as unoriginal as a Skylander can get (an elven archer, _that's_ a new one!), but there's just something about his character that I really like. Maybe it's his French accent? Or the fact that his Series 2 figurine is kick a$$. Whatevs.**

**Ignitor is Ignitor. 'Nuff said.**

**I think that's owl for now. See you guys later.**


	3. Chapter 3: Eon's Island

Chapter 3: Eon's Island

Ignitor had been right about the staircase. It wasn't nearly as tall as it looked; a dense fog had completely obscured the top landing. Upon reaching the end, Ignitor and Matt each pushed against one of the two enormous iron doors that lead to Eon's island.

As the doors gave way with a deep groan, midday light flooded Matt's vision, forcing him to blink away afterimage spots. Once his eyes had adjusted, he saw that they were standing on a white sand beach, looking out towards an ocean that seemed to end at the edge of the island. To their left was another heavy door set in a cliff face and to their right were some docks, though there were no boats moored there.

Matt took it all in. "…This is not what I expected."

Ignitor turned to the boy. "Well, what _did_ you expect?" he asked, sounding a bit offended.

Matt looked around, but saw only ocean, sand and the cliff behind them. "Didn't you say there was supposed to be a citadel here somewhere?"

"Of course! That's this way, silly!" the knight gestured to a set of stairs that led to the top of the cliff. "Did you really think the citadel would be on the beach?"

Matt was fairly certain that there was at least one such citadel back on Earth, but he merely shrugged and followed the knight up the steps.

What he saw nearly took his breath away.

All across the island, green-domed buildings squatted either stand-alone or in groups. A tall tower also topped with a green dome stood some distance away, and appeared to be watching over a particularly large dome with sparking light spewing out of the top.

But none of this was what had Matt's attention.

"Ermagerd…Skerlernders!"

Scattered across the island was an assortment of creatures the likes of which he had only ever seen in fantasy books and movies. Dragons, elves, a griffon, even a walking shark among others were all either talking or sparring or just hanging about. Matt recognized all of them from Claire's Skylander poster, but that didn't make any of it any more believable.

A few of the Skylanders noticed the duo's arrival and started toward them.

"Hey, Ignitor's back!" a hulking four-armed blue yeti with white hair and furred legs called out. He was accompanied by the bipedal shark, which also sported muscular arms, and a walking skeleton.

The Undead Skylander wore armor including a Trojan helmet, chest plate, gauntlets and boots of the same blue and gold color scheme. His helmet had three yellow orbs embedded where the eyes and mouth would be, and Matt assumed the fourth one in his forehead was just for decoration.

All of them were paying more attention to Matt than they were Ignitor, the skeleton with grave interest. Matt felt a bit cold under his yellow glare and averted his gaze.

"And he brought a friend with him," the yeti observed. "You know, I didn't know there were any humans in Skylands."

The shark slapped the yeti on the back none too gently. "There _aren't_, bonehead!" he snarled, but then hesitated. He looked back at his skeleton companion. "Eh, no offense, Chop Chop."

"None taken," the skeleton rasped in a cold voice that clearly implied the opposite.

"Matthew 'ere isn't from Skylands," Ignitor explained. "He's from Earth. He used a portal to get 'ere."

The shark's enormous jaw dropped and the yeti looked surprised, but it was Chop Chop who spoke. "But that's impossible!" he exclaimed, orb-like eyes glaring in suspicion. "Humans can't use portals!"

Matt was starting to get annoyed, and decided he didn't like Chop Chop much. Anger aside, he wondered not for the first time just how these creatures knew about a species that lived literally worlds away. He stood a little straighter, indignant. "Well, I did, and my friend did, too," he said. "Which is why I'm here. I'm on my way to ask this 'Eon' if he knows anything about how I got here, or where my friend is."

"And if Eon doesn't know," Ignitor added. "Then we can ask Hugo. He's bound to have a book on humans somewhere."

Chop Chop still looked unsure, but nodded and turned to Matt, who was surprised at the skeleton's sudden change in attitude. "We'll help to search for your friend," he said. He looked over at the other two Skylanders. "Won't we?" It sounded more like a statement than a question. The shark and the yeti stood to attention.

"Of course!" the yeti enthused. "What else are Skylanders for?"

"You can count on us," the land shark said. "Name's Terrafin, by the way."

"Slam Bam," the yeti said, clapping his massive, clawed hands for emphasis.

"Chop Chop," the skeleton introduced grimly. "Now what is this friend of yours like?"

Matthew was very happy that they had offered to help so readily. He noticed that Chop Chop was still regarding him warily, but he thought he could see some curiosity in his otherwise sinister-looking eyes as well.

"She's a human, like me, a few inches shorter with wavy brown hair. She's probably wearing a brown coat and a scarf. She loves scarves…" he trailed off sadly. He desperately hoped she was alright. This was becoming too real for his liking.

Chop Chop nodded. "We'll start asking around for starters. Master Eon is over at the watch tower," he gestured over at the tall tower by the light-spewing dome.

"Thanks a bunch," Matt said sincerely. Slam Bam, Terrafin and Chop Chop all split off to seek out the other Skylanders, and Ignitor motioned for Matthew to follow him to the tower.

* * *

Claire, completely unaware of the search being conducted, was peering out from the basket of Flynn's balloon, Flameslinger doing the same next to her. She had decided to test how good Flameslinger's hearing was.

She looked over to a small island where a dragon had just sat down on top of a sheep. "What's on that island?" she asked him. The elf 'looked' where Claire pointed.

"A dragon and a sheep," he said, sounding bored. The game had been going on for a few minutes now. "The dragon just sat on the sheep and is now blaming the sheep for it." He was exactly right, for the dragon now glared at the wooly creature, who looked a little worried.

Claire couldn't believe it. "Okay, fine! What else is on the island?" she smirked, seriously doubting that he could hear two rocks, a tree and three sunflowers.

"Two rocks, a tree and three sunflowers," he said without missing a beat. He smirked at a gaping Claire.

"Okay, that blindfold _has_ to be transparent," Claire said accusingly. "I'm not buying that you can hear plants and rocks."

Flameslinger reached behind his head and untied his blindfold, revealing a yellow blindfold underneath the red one. Claire laughed at the sight. "You wear _two_ blindfolds?"

"I do. Just to prove to people that I can't see through them." He handed her the red one. "See… or rather, _don't_ see for yourself."

Claire tied the blindfold around her head and opened her eyes. Sure enough, she couldn't see anything but darkness tinged with red. "Wow," she said, turning back to face who she thought was Flameslinger. "This thing really works!"

"…I'm over here, Claire."

Confused, Claire removed the blindfold to find herself facing Flynn, who winked at her. "Looks like there's one thing that blindfold can't hide…my handsomeness!" He flexed. "BOOM!" Claire and Flameslinger groaned for about the fifth time that day and went back to leaning against the side of the basket.

"Actually, I haven't been completely honest with you…about how I can get around without my eyes," Flameslinger admitted as Claire handed him back his blindfold.

"I knew it," Claire said. "You have x-ray vision, don't you?"

Flameslinger chuckled as he secured the red blindfold over his yellow one. "No, but I do have…oh, wait! We're here! I'll tell you later." He pointed down to Eon's island, and Claire marveled at pretty much the same things Matt marveled at before her.

Flynn set the balloon down in an admittedly perfect landing, and Claire and Flameslinger stepped out onto the island. They hadn't taken more than ten steps when a familiar sight met the girl's eyes.

"Matticus?"

Matt whirled around at the voice, and a mixture of relief and surprise flooded him.

"Claire-Bear?" he said incredulously. Ecstatic, the two friends rushed to each other, their Skylander companions keeping pace.

"Claire! Thank the nonspecific and therefore not-offensive gods you're okay! I've been worried sick!" The words tumbled out of Matt's mouth as his gal pal hugged him. Claire wasn't sure how to respond to Matt's display of emotion.

"Worried? But why? And how did you get here?" she asked him as she pulled away.

"The portal in your backyard!" he explained. "Your footprints lead up to it and stopped, so I stepped on it and it sent me to a crypt! At first I thought I was dreaming, but there were zombies and spiders and I thought maybe the portal sent you there before me and I started to get worried and—"

"Whoa! Slow down there, buddy!" Claire held up her hands to calm him down. "You stepped on the portal in my back yard?"

Matt nodded. "I thought it was a fog machine or something at first because I couldn't come up with anything better."

"I thought it was a prank that _you_ set up!" Claire exclaimed. "It sent me to a snowy island with trolls. I thought I was dreaming, too, and personally, I'm still not sure that I'm not…"

"Me neither," Matt agreed. The two fire Skylanders, who'd been watching the reunion with interest, exchanged glances.

"Hold on," Flameslinger interjected. "Why would you two think you're dreaming? It's strange, I'll admit, but it's very much reality."

"Indeed," Ignitor added his two cents. "You two are suddenly acting as if you didn't know Skylands existed before all this!"

It was Claire and Matt's turn to exchange looks.

"…You didn't tell him?" Matt asked her. Claire shook her head slowly.

Flameslinger and Ignitor looked at the humans with shocked expressions. "Tell us what?!" they shouted together.

Claire and Matt looked at each other uncertainly for a few moments. It was Claire who broke the silence. "…There's something important we didn't tell you," she started. "We didn't think you would believe us. I think all the Skylanders deserve to hear it…" she looked over at Matt. He nodded at her, urging her to continue. "…But before we do that, I think we should consult with Master Eon."

Flameslinger and Ignitor looked at each other worriedly.

"It's not bad!" the humans said quickly. "It's just…hard to swallow," Claire looked for the right words. "We promise to tell you, we just think that Master Eon can shed more light on this than we can."

Silence.

"Well…alright," Flameslinger consented. "Master Eon is probably up in the watch tower. We'll take you there." He turned to Ignitor, who nodded.

"Thanks," Claire said, then immediately perked up. "Oh, right!" she looked at Matt. "Matt, this is Flameslinger. He found me a little after I warped here."

"Pleased to meet you," the elf extended a hand, which Matt shook, but he couldn't help giving the archer a confused look.

"Likewise, but…why are you wearing a blindfold?" he asked against his better judgment, hoping it wasn't a sensitive topic.

Of course, it wasn't, and so the elf grinned proudly. Apparently, Claire noted, he never tired of showing off his little skill. She wondered if all of the Skylanders were this boastful. Glancing over, she noticed a green, leaf-like dragon and a red, birdlike one having a roaring contest. Neither of them was winning, to put it kindly. _That's a yes._

"I don't need my eyes to see where I'm going," Flameslinger said. He hesitated. "…or shooting."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you shoot arrows _without looking where you're shooting?_ Now, _that _I need to see."

"Actually," Claire cut in, considering Flameslinger. "I haven't seen you shoot yet either."

"I wouldn't doubt him if I were you," Ignitor warned. "His aim is uncanny."

Matt scanned around for potential targets, but the surrounding land marks consisted mostly of dome-topped buildings and tall skinny trees. There was nothing particularly target-like. Except maybe…

"Uncanny enough to shoot…that barrel over there?" Matt pointed to said barrel, which was sitting next to the stairs by the cliff a few hundred yards away. It looked tiny from the group's vantage point. Nevertheless, Flameslinger pulled out his bow, nocked a flaming arrow and pulled back the bowstring. "No problem!" he gloated, and let the arrow fly.

The arrow whizzed through the air before hitting its mark dead center with a _thunk! _Matt gaped, Claire politely applauded, having expected nothing less, and Ignitor seemed to grin with satisfaction. But Flameslinger wasn't done yet; the marksman loosed a volley of arrows into the air, which flew skyward before swooping back down and embedding themselves in a perfect ring along the edges of the barrel's lid, still smoldering.

"Now you're just being a showoff," Ignitor grumbled, crossing his arms, but it was impossible to be annoyed with the elf for long. The sheer look of disbelief plastered to Matt's face was hilarious. Claire snickered at him from behind her hand while Flameslinger twirled another arrow in his hand, blew it out and returned it to his quiver, smirking all the while. Even Ignitor seemed to flicker with concealed chortles.

"Well, I definitely believe you, now," Matt conceded. "But he's right; you are kind of a show off."

Flameslinger shrugged, not in the least bit bothered by the comment. "It's a Skylander thing," he said.

Matt glimpsed at Ignitor, remembering the knight's strong sense of pride back in the crypt. "I believe it…" he muttered, and Claire silently agreed with him. Matt refocused on the matter at hand. "But anyway! Claire," he gestured to his Skylander companion. "This is Ignitor. He helped me look for you back in the crypt and then saved me from some zombies."

Claire held out her hand to shake, but Ignitor grasped it in his and knelt on one knee. "Milady," he said. "It is an honor to finally meet the fair maiden who Sir Matthew so cares for. Know that I am truly relieved to find you safe outside the dungeon walls." With that, he brought her hand down to the lower rim of his eyehole in what was the closest thing to a respectful kiss he could manage.

To anyone watching, it looked like a marriage proposal, and Claire blushed at Ignitor's knightly behavior. "Erm…uh, thank you…Sir Ignitor." _Oh, God, I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my life!_

Flameslinger grinned over at Matt. "_Sir_ Matthew?" he asked jokingly. Matt shook his head helplessly, and the elf laughed. "I'm just messing with you! He's always like this."

Matt smiled. "I'll bet he gets all the ladies."

Flameslinger suddenly deflated, much of the laughter fleeing his features. "Not quite all of them…" he stared over at another Skylander, who was watching Ignitor's antics morosely. Matt followed the elf's gaze and noticed that the onlooker was another elf, this one a woman with pale blue skin and a flowing black gown. She appeared to be levitating off the ground, and wore a cowl that concealed her hair (if she had any) and stuck up like antlers. The she-elf watched Ignitor and Claire for a few more seconds before floating off without a word.

Matt was about to ask about her (remembering her from the poster but forgetting her name) when another question popped into his head as he looked back at Flameslinger. "Wait, how did you know she was there with your blindfold on?"

While Flameslinger struggled to find the patience to answer Matt's questions regarding his blindfold (sometimes he wondered if it was worth the trouble), Claire had managed to change the subject with Ignitor. It had started with "That's a very nice suit of armor!" and the knight had launched into a lengthy explanation of how he had come to receive his curse.

"…oh, I was such a young fool back then, my 'ead cloudy with the prospect of knighthood. I should've figured the wench's offer too good to be true!" he spat at the memory. "But I didn't. And I guess I can't really blame myself too much. The armor I had was a laughing stock it was so rusty. So I took the armor and put it on and headed straight to the Red Dragon's lair with one thought in mind: slay him and prove myself worthy of knighthood!

"But, alas, fools are always doomed to fail, and to this day, I wonder why the beast even bothered with me. I certainly wasn't worth his time. Nevertheless, it took only one burst of his fiery breath to consume me, and that's when the armor transformed me into what I am now, and bound me to it forever.

"I suppose it was lucky. Once I transformed, I had the power to bring the beast down with little difficulty, and from then on I vowed to find the witch who wrought this curse upon me and give her a piece of my mind!" he nearly shouted these last words, and Claire took a step back out of reflex. The knight's raging inferno settled back down to an apologetic flicker. "Forgive me, Miss Claire. I didn't mean to subject you to all of that."

Claire gave the knight a sympathetic smile. "That's okay; we all need to unload once in a while."

A muffled pop sounded nearby, and the group clammed up and turned to look back at the barrel Flameslinger had used for target practice earlier, which was now smoking from the archer's onslaught of lit arrows. Another pop shook the barrel, then another, and another. Finally, it abruptly exploded in a brilliant shower of sparks, knocking over the onlookers with the force of the blast.

Fortunately, the humans and company and any other nearby Skylanders were far enough away to avoid getting injured. As they picked themselves up, they gawked at the crater that remained.

"…That was Boomer's dynamite barrel, wasn't it?" Ignitor asked quietly. Flameslinger nodded, looking embarrassed for not having realized that earlier.

"Let's make ourselves scarce," the elf suggested, and the humans followed the warriors of fire to the watchtower without looking back.

* * *

Master Eon stood on the balcony of the watchtower, overlooking the Core of Light. The old portal master took comfort from the light spewing out of the dome's top, but he still couldn't shake the odd sense of dread that had overtaken him a few weeks prior. A dark presence was approaching, he knew, perhaps closer than he initially thought…

"Erm…Master Eon?" a familiar French voice called out. Eon turned around to find Flameslinger and Ignitor standing in the doorway to the tower's interior.

"Ah, greetings, young Skylanders," Eon smiled warmly, genuinely glad to see them. He was eager to get his mind off of his gloomy prediction, so he didn't notice the warriors' looks of discomfort. "You wanted to see me?"

"Um, yes," Ignitor confirmed. "You see, we have some, er, _unexpected _guests who 'ave arrived 'ere under some, uh, _unusual_ circumstances." He fiddled with his metal fingers as he spoke, and Flameslinger kept glancing back at the edge of the doorframe. Eon quirked an eyebrow at their strange behavior.

"Well, I'm certainly no stranger to unexpected arrivals," Eon mused, thinking back to Slam Bam and especially Dino-Rang's initiation. "I would very much like to meet them. Are they here now?"

"Uh, yes, Master Eon, they're right over there," Flameslinger gestured to the spot behind the doorframe he had been glancing at. Eon brightened.

"Good! Bring them out! Don't be shy!" he enthused.

With that, the two fire Skylanders made a "come here" (or rather, "come hither" in Ignitor's case) motion toward the door. After a moment of hesitation, Claire and Matt stepped out onto the balcony to join their Skylander companions. Matt did his best to look indifferent, and Claire waved timidly at Eon. "Um, hi…" she greeted, feeling incredibly awkward.

She had good reason to feel uncomfortable, for Eon's eyes widened in surprise. "My word!" he breathed. "Humans!"

From playing the Skylanders game the day before with Claire, Matt had figured that Eon was a human, too. Now that they were standing before the portal master himself, Eon's lack of humanity was clear: he looked far too cartoony and disproportionate, not to mention his four-fingered hands that matched those of pretty much everyone else in Skylands (Flameslinger and Ignitor included). He was very tall, standing almost twice as tall as his mismatched company, and his silver Viking-like helmet only exemplified his height. He wore grayish robes that draped down to the floor, and a silvery sash adorned with the eight elemental symbols of Skylands encompassed his torso diagonally. His hair and beard were white as snow, framing a kindly old face with eyes that appeared friendly even despite their state of shock. With a simple staff resting in his grip, he put Claire and Matt in the mind of Gandalf.

A portal sat on the balcony between the surprised portal master and his company, humming softly and releasing a silvery mist into the air. None of them noticed the small port in the floor by the entryway.

After several uncomfortably stagnant seconds, Eon recovered a bit, much to everyone's relief; they had been afraid that they had accidently set off a heart attack.

"To think that it would happen so soon…" he mused, regarding the humans with interest. Everyone gawked.

"Whoaheynow! You mean you _knew_ this was gonna happen?!" Matt blurted. Claire, Ignitor, and Flameslinger stared open-mouthed (well, in Ignitor's case, as open-mouthed as a sentient blob of flame could get) at the old portal master, who looked conflicted. Nevertheless, he nodded.

"It's a long story, young ones. But yes." He confirmed. The group exchanged uneasy glances, fearing the worst. To put their worries to rest, Eon added, "I have a theory as to what is going on, but it only makes sense if you arrived here by portal." He peered at the humans more closely, squinting. "You did, didn't you?"

Claire nodded slowly, unsure how to process this revelation. "Yes. There was a portal in my—" she paused. "…backyard…" she had suddenly heard…something. Or maybe not 'heard' so much as 'sensed.'

There it was again! It felt like someone was eavesdropping on them, like someone or some_thing _else was on the balcony. She glanced around and quickly noticed Matt doing the same. He had heard it too! Maybe it was a sound after all? But the Skylanders hadn't heard it and neither had Eon, although they were looking at the humans a bit strangely. If Flameslinger hadn't heard an intruder, then surely there was nothing out of the ordinary…

But it was obvious that Matt was on the lookout for something, and when his eyes met Claire's, it was clear that they had thought the same thing.

_Something's not right here._

"Something wrong, young ones?" asked Eon, his voice friendly and inviting. Claire and Matt looked at their corresponding Skylander companions, who looked back at them expectantly, curious about what had gotten their attention.

"It's just…did y'all hear something just now?" Claire asked. Flameslinger, as she had figured he would, shook his head.

"No, nothing," he confirmed, knowing it was impossible for Claire to hear something he didn't. He was listening to her rapid heartbeat right now.

"And you never question an elf's hearing," Ignitor advised. "Especially Flame's here." Eon smiled and chuckled, and Ignitor suddenly noticed a glint of mischief in his eye. _Did I just imagine that…?_ The knight wondered.

"Actually, I _did_ hear an explosion earlier…" Eon said casually, and his company suddenly became fidgety. The portal master turned serious, his kindly, grizzled features hardening. "But now's not the time. I'd like for you all to gather the Skylanders to the Core for a meeting. All will be revealed there, I hope."

"Thank goodness," Ignitor joked. "The suspense is killing me!"

"Speaking of which," Flameslinger cut in. "These two have some 'revealing' to do, too!" He grinned at Claire to let her know that he didn't hold the secret-keeping against her. She smirked back.

"How many "two's" were in that sentence?" she poked fun at him. He crossed his arms, pretending to be upset, but ultimately failed as he couldn't completely wipe the grin from his face.

Matt was, for once, impatient. He wanted to know what was going on quite badly, and felt that he especially deserved to know after fearing for Claire's life (albeit for less than an hour). Ignitor sensed Matt's irritation, and having remembered Matt's quieter disposition, decided to help him out. "Right-o, everyone, let's go!" the knight cheered, and Matt smiled at Ignitor's use of his own words from back in the crypt.

Master Eon did his best to refrain from looking surprised at the group's antics, but this time it was Flameslinger who noticed (somehow). _What's with Master Eon…?_ He wondered.

But before any questions could be asked (verbally), the old portal master tapped the floor with the butt of his staff, and the portal in front of him glowed brightly. "You may use my portal to get back to the ground. It certainly beats a trip down the stairs," he added, suddenly looking aged again. "As you gather everyone up, why not introduce yourselves to the rest of the Skylanders? They would be more than happy to become acquainted with visitors from another world, after all."

"Sure," Claire said. "We'll do just that."

"Excellent! Thank you, young ones!" Eon smiled at them gratefully as the group hopped onto the portal two-by-two, disappearing in a flash. When they were gone, Eon's cheerful visage collapsed into a gravely troubled expression as he looked over the balcony to watch the group reappear at the bottom of the tower. He scrunched up his eyes in thought while the group split apart to cover the island in teams of two.

"Hugo," the portal master called, turning back around toward the door frame. Out of the covered port in the floor, a brown-furred mole-like Mabu emerged (MR. RESETTI!). He wore a green jacket and circular spectacles that lent him a bit of a nerdy appearance, and a backpack filled to bursting with books and maps was strapped to his back.

"Yes, Master Eon?" the Mabu called Hugo asked tentatively as he climbed out of his hiding place. It had been a long time since he had heard such a serious tone in the portal master's voice.

"I gather you heard most of what just transpired?"

Hugo nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes, Master Eon! I can scarcely believe it, myself! Do you think they're the ones?" the Mabu was growing excited, having already forgotten Eon's apparent concern.

Eon glanced back once more at the dynamic duos of Claire and Flameslinger and of Matt and Ignitor respectively. To Hugo's relief, the portal master allowed himself a smile.

"Yes, I think so. For they've not just befriended them," Eon murmured, watching the pairs' laughter. "They've already bonded."

* * *

Back at the crater where the barrel of explosives had once stood, a crazed-looking troll bounded up to the explosion site, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Hoo hoo!" he cried. "Someone brought the BOOM!"

* * *

**And it wasn't Flynn.**

**Ever since the Tall Tales commercial for _Giants_, I've always seen Terrafin and Slam Bam as buddies. Is it just me?**

**Heh, Ignitor's got all the girls…except Hex. Poor gal, I feel bad for her…but perhaps we'll delve deeper into that issue later on, hm?**

**In the meantime, that's owl I got. Tune in next time for new friends! Heated rivalries! More lengthy exposition!**

**And snow cones. Lots of snow cones.**

**See you guys later.**


	4. Chapter 4: New Buddies!

Chapter 4: New Buddies!

Leaving Master Eon and the lofty watchtower behind them, Matt and Ignitor decided to head over to an open grassy plain by a cliff where many Skylanders had congregated. They went off on a tangent, however, when they noticed the search party of Slam Bam, Terrafin, and Chop Chop all gathered by Flynn's balloon, preparing for a trip.

Matt and Ignitor looked at each other with wide eyes. "Shoot!" Ignitor exclaimed. "We forgot to tell them that we found Claire!"

With that, the duo sprinted across the plain, shouting to catch the party's attention before they lifted off. Thankfully, the trio of Skylanders hadn't even set foot in the basket when they noticed the two approaching. Matt reached them first, Ignitor's clunky metal bulk slowing him down, and garnered their attention.

"Don't take off!" Matt blurted. "Claire's here!" As Ignitor joined the group, Chop Chop gave Matt a bored look.

"We know," the skeleton rasped. Matt had not been expecting that, and his jaw dropped in direct proportion to the height of his eyebrows.

"Do-wha-huh?" was all he could manage.

"Flynn here filled us in before we could lift off," Slam Bam explained. "Said Flameslinger brought Claire back in the balloon after his mission."

Said Mabu popped his head out of the balloon basket, arms full of sealed packages. "Personally, I'm glad I don't have to fly all over creation on a wild goose chase to find a girl I already found, but I had the snacks ready and everything! Now what am I gonna do with all these pretzels?" he complained.

"Stuff them into chocolate candies," Matt proposed. Flynn blinked.

"Genius! I could probably market that…Nice going, kid!" the pilot gave him a thumb's up before trouncing off to…somewhere.

Matt turned back to the disbanded search party. His hazel eyes locked onto Chop Chop's suspicious glare, an expression that Matt was quickly growing to dislike. Why was this grouchy Skylander so concerned about a few unarmed humans?

"I take it you spoke with Master Eon?" the skeleton asked, and Matt failed to detect any venom in his tone even despite the poisonous look he received.

"Yeah, we have," Matt tried not to sound annoyed, remembering that Chop Chop was one of Ignitor's friends. "He says he thinks he knows what happened and wants all the Skylanders to come to a meeting at the Core of Light in an hour. So, uh…be there, and stuff."

"Fine, then," Chop Chop said. As he turned to leave, he muttered, "Just don't break any portals until then."

Matt scowled, but said nothing until the skeleton was out of ear(?)shot. "What's his problem? He knows I'm unarmed, right?"

Ignitor let out a smoky sigh. "That's the thing, Matt. Do you remember when I said that humans can't normally use portals?"

"Yeah...but I did. Is that why he's so suspicious?"

"Well, yes, and because it means that you are probably a portal master, one of the most influential beings in Skylands," the knight explained. "The ability to wield a portal isn't a power to be trifled with."

_Oh, really?_ Matt thought, still thinking in gaming terms, where a portal master was actually just a player who placed a toy on a scanner. He didn't find much reason to be impressed. "Even if that's true, I'm still a rookie," he reasoned. "Does he really think I would do much damage if that was my intention?"

"Chop Chop is the oldest, most experienced Skylander," Ignitor said. "He's been around for over ten thousand years, so he's learned the hard way that you can never be too careful."

Slam Bam crossed both pairs of arms. "He _is_ a stick in the mud sometimes, though. It's hard for him to relax and have some fun every once in a while."

"Arkeyans," Terrafin growled, thinking back to his first run-in with a certain drill bot. "They're hard to understand. Chop Chop is just worried about Master Eon, since he's getting so old." The shark snorted. "If ya ask me, he needs to chill out."

"Which reminds me," Slam Bam took some paper cups and a bottle of flavored syrup out of nowhere, and formed a snowball in his remaining free hand. After a few seconds of careful assembly, the yeti offered three frozen treats to his companions.

"Snow cone? ...Relax, it's lemon."

"Ooh, snow cone." Matt reached for the dessert and took it gratefully, not yet having eaten that day. It was probably the best snow cone he had ever eaten. He only wished it was a bit more filling; flavored ice chips didn't put much of a damper on one's appetite.

The yeti offered a cone to Ignitor, who shook his head. "You know I don't care for frozen food." He turned to Matt. "It melts 'fore it even reaches my face and makes a mess all over my armor," the knight explained huffily.

"Ooookay, how 'bout you, Fin?" the yeti turned to the shark.

"No thanks," Terrafin replied. "I think I'm gonna hit the dirt." With that, the shark jumped into the air and curved back down to dive straight into the ground. Terrafin then "swam" off, dorsal fin slicing through the earth as he hummed an odd tune in his gravelly growl.

"What a waste of snow cones," Slam Bam complained, frowning.

"I'll bet Claire and Flameslinger want one," Matt suggested. "I think they headed toward the beach."

Slam Bam brightened. "Good idea. I'm gonna hit the waves while I'm there," the yeti declared, pulling a surfboard out of nowhere (probably the same 'nowhere' the scone cone supplies had come from). "Later!" he called as he stamped off.

Matt swallowed some ice. "So," he addressed Ignitor. "Portal master, huh?"

Ignitor flared up at the mention of it. "Indeed, it's a fair possibility. I don't know much about humans, aside from what the legends say, but I don't think they've been in Skylands for a very long time."

"Legends?" Matt asked, grimacing at a cold headache coming on. "We're in legends here?"

"Of course!" Ignitor exclaimed. "Hugo's always going on about them. He says the humans built great civilizations on Earth, back when magic flowed there freely…but it got cut off for some reason…" Ignitor tilted his head, trying to remember. "I forget why. I never really paid attention to the myths. I much prefer books on swordplay and knighthood." The knight burned lower. "And witch-hunting…"

Matt remembered hearing that particular bit of Ignitor's backstory when he had been explaining it to Claire. Something occurred to him.

"Oh, yeah," Matt mused. "Flameslinger was saying something about that girl elf. The one dressed in black with blue skin. What's her name?"

Ignitor sparked a little at the mention of the she-elf, an emotion Matt had yet to see. Was it recognition? Anger?

Matt suddenly felt a slight heat wave ripple through him, which was odd considering he was eating a cold snow cone. It hadn't come from Ignitor; it was his insides that felt uncomfortably warm.

"Her name is Hex. She's an Undead…sorceress," Ignitor explained quietly. Matt felt it again, and he realized what the sensation was.

…_Guilt?_ He thought. _Am I guilty about something? Sure, I feel kinda bad about keeping secrets from Ignitor, but this just came out of nowhere._

"Perhaps we can meet her later," Ignitor shrugged. "We need to spread the word about the meeting anyway."

"…Okay," Matt regarded Ignitor curiously as the two continued their stroll. _I felt it when Ignitor was talking about Hex…maybe it's _his_ guilt I'm feeling? But how is that possible?_

They both walked on, stopping to mention the meeting time to any Skylanders they encountered. Matt recognized most of the faces, but still had trouble with the names.

"I'll be there…" a large walking tree with his branches sawed off (appropriately named Stump Smash) had assured them gruffly. "Now please let me nap in peace!"

"I'll awaken Stump Smash when the time comes…" another she-elf had mysteriously appeared next to them. This one was a ninja, green-skinned and slender, like Flameslinger, only her mouth was covered instead of her eyes. And her eyes were certainly amazing, Matt noted: they were large, almond-shaped and burned with a pale fire. Her hair was blue, also like Flameslinger's, twisted into a braid that fell to her back. She wore a brown bikini top and a matching skirt as well as fingerless gloves and boots with gold fastenings. She spoke in a hushed whisper, as if wary about drawing unwanted attention. "And I'll let the other two Life Skylanders know. They can be difficult to find…for anyone but me, that is."

"Don't worry, Terrafin already let me know," Bash, a spiked, wingless dragon with a clubbed tail, told them cheerfully. "I'll pass it on to the other Earth Skylanders for you."

"I already told Hex and Ghost Roaster," Chop Chop informed them tiredly. "But I believe Cynder is up in the skies somewhere with Spyro. I can't help you there."

"Alright," Ignitor said as they walked toward a scorched island. "That's Life, Earth, and Undead minus Cynder. Let's do Fire, next."

"How come the Skylanders are only telling others of the same element?" Matt asked. "That seems a little cliquey."

"It's actually what we're supposed to do when stuff like this arises," Ignitor said. "It makes it easier to keep track of who's been informed. Ah, there's Eruptor now. You ought to stay behind for this one, Matt."

Matt immediately saw why—the ground was littered with embers and hot coal beds, not to mention all the molten rock—and had no objections. The hazardous terrain posed no threat to Ignitor, of course, and the knight plodded right on through, armor clinking all the while.

Matt watched his friend approach a lava golem, who appeared to be belching lava uncontrollably, and finished his snow cone in silence. He knelt down and pushed the empty paper cup into a nearby bed of coals, making it disintegrate into cinders.

"EXCUSE ME."

For the first time that day, Matt jumped, and then turned around hoping no one noticed. Standing there was an unusual looking dragon, green in color with a ridged neck and brown claws. He wore armor with a blue and gold color scheme, similar to Chop Chop's but more mechanical in appearance, which included a helmet with a gold fin protruding from the top, foldout wing casings, a glowing red orb on his back, and a spiked tail. The helmet concealed his eyes in yellow lenses, and his wicked teeth jutted out from his jaws.

What really had Matt's attention was his voice: it was electronically altered to sound deeper and monotonous, reminiscent of a robot, and it reverberated so much, Matt couldn't begin to guess what his actual voice sounded like.

"I AM SEARCHING FOR IGNITOR. ALLY CHOP CHOP INDICATED THAT HE WAS IN YOUR PRESENCE."

"Hi, I'm Matt. It's nice to meet you, too."

The dragon lifted his head slightly, as if snapped out of a trance. "APOLOGIES. INTRODUCTION: MY SELF-DESIGNATION IS DROBOT. I AM A TECH SKYLANDER."

Matt glanced up and down the robot-like dragon and held out his hand with a polite smile. "Yeah, I figured. Ignitor's over there, talking to Eruptor. See 'em?"

Drobot took Matt's hand in his paw and shook it rigidly before swiveling his head toward the conversing Skylanders. "THERMAL SENSORS ARE SCRAMBLING OPTIC READINGS DUE TO MASSIVE AMOUNT OF HEAT RADIATING FROM THIS ISLAND. COMPONENT REASON WHY I AM HERE."

Matt quirked an eyebrow. "Why don't you turn them off?"

Drobot hesitated. Then he reached up and twisted a knob on his helmet, humming mechanically when he was satisfied.

"MY THERMAL SENSORS ARE SO USEFUL; I SOMETIMES FORGET THEY ARE OPTIONAL. DROBOT IS FAULTY." The dragon dipped his head a bit.

Matt shrugged. "It happens to the best of us. So why did you want to see Ignitor?"

"I INTEND TO SCAN HIS ARMOR," Drobot droned. "HOPEFULLY, I CAN ACQUIRE THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO HEATPROOF MY OWN ARMOR AND PREVENT MY AFTERBURNERS FROM OVERHEATING."

"Ah. Yeah, Ignitor's about as heatproof as it gets."

"INDEED," Drobot agreed. "PERMISSION TO SCAN YOU?"

The sudden topic transition caught Matt off guard, but he nodded. This was certainly an odd—but cool!—Skylander. "Sure, go ahead."

Drobot's eyes flashed, and Matt waited as his impressive tech processed the stream of information. "DATA ANALYSIS COMPLETE. MY HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT."

"And that was…?"

"RESIDUAL TRACES OF PORTAL MAGIC DETECTED. SUBJECT MATT IS CLASSIFIED AS A PORTAL MASTER."

Matt crossed his arms. "I just used a portal like ten minutes ago. How can you be sure?"

"PORTAL MAGIC DISSIPATES WITHIN SECONDS OF WARP-JUMPING. ONLY PORTAL MASTERS POSSESS THE CAPACITY TO STORE IT," Drobot said matter-of-factly (or so it seemed, it was actually kind of hard to tell).

…_I guess there _is_ more to it than putting figurines on a toy portal_, Matt thought.

Ignitor returned a few moments later, having completed his task. "Well, that's that," he said, satisfied. "Poor Eruptor 'as got a bad case of indigestion…again. He says it will probably clear up by the time the meeting starts, so that's good. Oh, 'ello, Drobot. I see you've met Matt."

Drobot waved his tail. "GREETINGS. I WOULD LIKE PERMISSION TO SCAN YOUR ARMOR."

"Ah," Ignitor knew where this was going. "Time for an upgrade again, eh? Go on, then."

Drobot scanned the knight, taking in the data eagerly. "FASCINATING. THIS WILL AID IN MY ENDEAVORS INDUBITABLY. MUCH GRATITUDE."

"It's no problem. Say, actually, could you help us spread the word about the meeting at the Core in about 40 minutes?"

"THE TECH SKYLANDERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ALERTED."

Ignitor and Matt stared at him. "How is that possible?" Matt asked.

"TRIGGER HAPPY EAVESDROPPED ON YOUR CONVERSATION WITH MASTER EON." Drobot said, indifferent.

Ignitor sighed. "I should've figured he would. He's quite nosy…and he doesn't even 'ave a nose!"

Matt snickered; he loved irony.

"Well, can you spread the word to the flying Skylanders, then? We can't exactly reach them."

Drobot flared his wings. "AFFIRMATIVE. ACTION SHALL BE COMPLETED IN APPROXIMATELY T-MINUS 7.5 MINUTES."

"No rush," said Matt.

Drobot took off, his rocket booster wings igniting to grant him extra lift and speed, and Matt and Ignitor watched him disappear through some clouds.

"Well," Matt said. "That's four elements plus the flying Skylanders notified. I think Claire and Flameslinger will have the rest done by now."

"I think so, too," Ignitor agreed. "So what should we do now?"

"Hmm…" Matt couldn't think of an answer. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Look!" a juvenile voice cried out. "A troll!"

"Let's get him!" another, squeakier one chipped in. Matt and Ignitor looked around for the source of the voices, but neither of them thought to look up.

"RAAWWWR!" Four tiny, black-feathered creatures gave a mighty war cry as they plowed right into Matt from the sky, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Oof!" he grunted. The little ruffians flared their tiny wings and reared up on their adorable paws, then took it upon themselves to start pulling on his clothes and hair with their big yellow beaks.

Matt got a good look at the one tugging on his hoodie pocket and realized he was under attack by possibly the cutest creatures he had ever seen up close in his life: baby griffins. They combined the diminutive stature of fluffy black kittens with the strangely endearing disproportionate heads of baby birds.

He realized that they were play fighting with him, and couldn't help but laugh. "I surrender! I surrender!" he chuckled. Ignitor looked on and chortled.

"Ho, there, young'uns, I see you've bagged yourselves a nasty troll!" The knight said, playing along.

"Nasty?!" Matt proclaimed with mock indignity.

"Yeah!" One of the babies, a female, beamed proudly, gnawing Matt's sleeve. "But this one looks really weird!"

"Hey," a little boy griffin said. "He kinda looks like Master Eon!"

"Children!"

The babies all froze as a large, majestic griffin, clearly their mother, descended next to them in a flourish of magnificent ebony wings. She wore silver bracers on each ankle and a matching helmet, all inscribed with a swirling air symbol. Her lovely green eyes narrowed at her progeny's' antics.

"Just what do think you're doing, attacking this poor defenseless boy?" she growled. One of the babies, another female, let go of Matt's shoelace.

"But, Mom," she squawked. "We were just playing!"

"Yeah!" the remaining male piped up. "We thought he was a bad troll, but Ignitor wasn't hitting him with his sword, so he must be a good troll like Boomer, right?"

Sonic Boom shot her children an exasperated look. "He looks nothing like a troll!" Matt found himself relieved to hear her say that.

"Yeah, but you said that if we don't know what it is, it's probably a troll and should be treated as such," the first little girl griffin recited, obviously having practiced that line of monologue.

Sonic Boom brought a paw to her face. "I did, didn't I?" she muttered.

"It's okay, ma'am, really!" Matt tried to reassure her. "They're just playing."

The griffin relaxed a little, regarding Matt with apologetic warmth in her eyes. "Call me Sonic, darling. Sonic Boom. These little hooligans are my children, Heather, Zeke, Claus and Taylor. I take it you're the visitor from Earth everyone's talking about?"

"Yep," Matt nodded. "Me and my friend, Claire." He cast about at the little griffins clambering all over him. "Uh, we're actually humans, not trolls."

Zeke looked up at Matt curiously. "So, you're a good guy?" he asked.

"Not according to Claire," he mumbled with a smirk.

"Children," Sonic Boom continued her scolding as if Matt hadn't answered. "I can't have you tackling innocent bystanders out of nowhere!"

The babies hung their heads, unwilling to meet their mother's stern gaze. Matt felt guilty, though knowing it wasn't his fault. He decided to help them out. "Well, if they are naughty children…" He scooped up Taylor in his hands, making her squeal in surprise, then laughter. "The nasty troll will have to take them away! Muahahaha!"

Matt jumped up with Taylor in tow and comically skipped away, deliberately keeping a slow pace. "Help me!" Taylor giggled. "I've been captured!"

Ignitor quickly found a blunt stick and cut Matt off. "Not so fast! Have at thee, foul beast!" he said dramatically. Taylor and the three other griffin babies giggled.

"Never! The griffin hatchling is mine! MINE, I TELL YOU!" Matt snarled, hoping he sounded troll-like. Ignitor brandished his stick as he would his sword and swiped at Matt, who gasped.

"Oh, fizzle pickles! You have found my one weakness…POINTY THINGS!"

Ignitor thrust the stick into Matt's ribcage, and the human theatrically made a show of dying a painful death before falling backwards with a thud, careful not to hurt Taylor. The little griffins were all howling with laughter at the two's antics, and Sonic Boom watched with a knowing smile, happy to have found a nice playmate for her hatchlings.

Suddenly, Ignitor gasped. "He twitched! Quickly, brave ones, finish him off!"

"Yeah!"

"Rawr!"

"Ha ha ha!"

The young ones pounced all over Matt again, who pretended to fight back as a sputtering, bumbling troll, but he couldn't keep the chuckles from escaping his lips.

_Yeah…this seems like a good thing to do until the meeting!_

* * *

"You like going to the beach, Claire?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Then let's go there first!"

Flameslinger lead Claire to the steps near the end of the island, skirting around the smoking barrel remains. As the two descended, Claire noticed the torches flanking the railing change color from yellow to red, and wondered if it had anything to do with Flameslinger's presence.

The duo stepped down onto the docks and gazed out at the miniature ocean that ended in a ninety-degree deluge, sending water plummeting in a misty spray to whatever lay below.

"Wow," Claire remarked. "Are all the oceans in Skylands like this? They just end in a waterfall off the edge of the island?"

"Pretty much," Flameslinger nodded. "What are oceans like on Earth?" he asked.

"They're all connected, just like one big mass of water all over the planet," Claire explained, gazing into the distance. "There are four major oceans, separated by continents, and many smaller seas that are closer to the land." She looked over at Flameslinger, who looked thoughtful.

"I think I've actually seen a picture somewhere," the elf mused. "It's a green and blue planet, right?"

"Y-yeah, but seriously!" Claire raised her voice, alarmed by his words. "How on Earth do you Skylanders know about Earth even though you say humans can't even get here? It's really starting to freak me out!"

"You don't know?" Flameslinger asked, puzzled. "Earth and the humans have been in our legends for thousands of years. There was a time long ago when Skylands and Earth were connected by portals."

Claire had experienced many surprises that day, but even after all she had been through in the past hour, she was not prepared for that statement. "Really? There's nothing like that our history."

"I wouldn't expect there to be, now that I think more about it," Flameslinger admitted, walking along the dock. "The reason they are no longer connected is because the Earth became ravaged by war. Apparently, the portal masters of Earth escaped to Skylands due to every country wanting to use their powers for conquest. But after they all fled, portal masters suddenly stop appearing on Earth, and those in Skylands eventually died out. They just stopped appearing."

"Appearing?" Claire echoed. "What do you mean by that?"

The elf arched a brow at her. "Portal masters are born, Claire, not made. You can't buy the power and you can't learn it. Either you're born with it or you're not. But what I don't understand," he said. "Is how you know about the Skylanders but not the portal masters."

_Honestly, I haven't gotten that far along in the game yet_, Claire thought, but said nothing.

Flameslinger noticed her discomfort and sighed. "The secret's that bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," Claire muttered, sitting down and swinging her legs over the edge of the dock. The elf joined her.

"Maybe I do," he refuted. "Skylands is a pretty ridiculous place, Claire," he grinned.

"You're tellin' me," Claire snorted. "I'm sitting here on a floating island talking to a blindfolded elven archer who saved me from a bunch of trolls after I warped here by touching a portal that mysteriously appeared in my backyard."

"See? For Skylands, that's hardly considered strange. Maybe you ought to try me." He reached back and clasped his hands behind his head.

She smirked. "Actually…you know, I've only known you for about an hour now, but I already feel like I can tell you anything," she confessed, looking him straight in the blindfold. "Like with Matt."

"I think I know why," Flameslinger said, garnering Claire's attention. "I think the reason you can use portals despite being a human is because you're a portal master like Eon."

Claire rested her chin on her fist. "Figures," she muttered. _Who didn't see that coming?_ "But what does that have to do with my being comfortable around you?"

Flameslinger turned his 'gaze' back out at the sea. "Portal masters share a certain bond with their Skylanders, a level of understanding so deep, it redefines the word 'trust'."

"Do you feel the same way with me?" Claire asked.

The elf mimicked her movement, putting a hand on his chin. "…I'll have to think about it," he said dismissively. Just like back on the balcony, he couldn't keep a smirk from creeping across his face, and Claire laughed.

"You're such a bad liar!" she chortled, and the elf laughed with her. "But really, if Eon is your portal master," she mused. "Then how can we have bonded? Does this mean you're my Skylander now?"

Flameslinger appeared saddened, and Claire felt an ache in her chest. _Maybe we really _have_ bonded, _she marveled. _I can really feel the way _he_ feels! Even Matt and I don't have this kind of connection!_

"I'm not sure," he said. "We all share a bond with Master Eon, but he's been growing so weak with age, maybe those bonds are starting to disappear."

"That's so sad…" Claire sympathized, the ache growing deeper. This time, Flameslinger felt it.

…_Maybe this is what Eon looked so shocked about_, the elf surmised. _I can feel the bond with Claire despite only having just met her. And yet…it feels different than with Eon. Maybe because she's closer to my age? Or maybe we can identify with each other on levels we don't even know about yet!_

While the two sat on the dock in contemplation, a voice rang out somewhere on the sand behind them, and they turned around to look. Floating several yards away was an odd looking masked creature, humanoid except for the noticeable lack of legs, replaced instead by a brown grass skirt. His mask was enormous, resembling a Hawaiian tiki with a huge, wickedly toothed mouth and bulging green eyes. His skin was sky blue, and he wore thick, wooden bracelets that matched his mask. White feathers tipped with black sprouted from his head, and a claw-like wooden staff topped with a green orb grasped in its clutches rested in his hand.

Most notably, following him were two tikis that closely resembled him despite lacking arms and standing about half his height. They bounced along behind him, mimicking his gibberish until they both abruptly exploded. The tiki man paid it no mind and continued on his merry way without looking back.

"Who's that?" Claire asked. "He looks kind of scary…and please don't tell me his kids just spontaneously blew up."

Flameslinger chuckled, realizing that that was exactly what it looked like. "No, that's Double Trouble. He's a spell-casting tiki man who can make doubles of himself. The only problem is, they're unstable, so they blow up after about a minute. Hmm," he thought for a moment. "Why don't I take you to meet him? We need to start spreading the word about the meeting anyway."

"…Is he nice?" Claire asked tentatively, suddenly having doubts about this strange, explosion-conjuring Skylander.

"Nice enough," Flameslinger replied, before pausing. "…I think."

Claire gave him a look. "You think? Don't you fight alongside him?"

The elf heaved an exasperated sigh. "Well, yeah, but, the thing is, no one but Master Eon can understand his language. All the rest of us hear is 'Ooga Booga'…But maybe you'll understand him, too, since you're a portal master and all."

_Portal masters have magical translating powers?_ Claire thought. _…Not gonna lie, that's actually pretty cool. Cooler than dropping a toy on a portal, anyway._

Flameslinger led Claire onto the sand and together they approached the tiki man. _How sad_, Claire mused, _It must terribly lonely having only one person understand you…and I doubt exploding clones are that much consolation._

Double Trouble noticed them coming and floated up to meet them. Claire suddenly felt shy, and found it hard to meet the tiki man's admittedly creepy gaze. Flameslinger sensed her discomfort (literally) and decided to break the ice. "Hi, Double Trouble!" the elf greeted. "This is Claire; she's a human from Earth."

Double Trouble actually smiled (although it was kind of difficult to tell) and extended a blue hand in greeting. "Ooga booga how's it dooga?" he enthused in a strangely echoing voice.

Claire took his hand and shook it, doing her best to maintain eye contact, although it was easier now that she had seen his apparent friendliness up close. Reassured, she smiled at him. "Good, thanks, nice to meet you," she said.

"Ooga booga the pleasure is all mine, dooga!" he returned heartily.

"I have to say," said Claire, becoming more comfortable. "I've never met anyone quite like you before. Although it doesn't help that I've never visited the tropics."

Double Trouble's eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment, as though he were suddenly very interested in the conversation. "Ooga booga I can say the same thing, dooga. Ooga booga so you've never been to a real luau, ooga Claire?"

The human girl shook her head. "Nope. I've never even left my home country, before…Well, until now, anyway."

"Ooga, that's a pity, booga. Ooga you would love my homeland, dooga."

"I'll bet I would!"

Flameslinger regarded his human companion with renewed interest. "So, you do understand him, I take it?"

Claire nodded. "He's speaking clear as day! …At least, with a few 'ooga booga's' thrown in…What do you hear?"

Flameslinger shrugged. "Ooga Booga, over and over, with a few variations here and there…just like usual."

Double Trouble looked pleased (again, kind of hard to tell). "Ooga can understand me, booga? You mean to say that you're a portal master, ooga Claire?"

"That's what Flame thinks, anyway," she said. Double Trouble appeared thoughtful, but then nodded.

"Ooga, actually not very surprising, booga. Ooga I thought I sensed some magical potential from you, booga."

"What's he saying?" Flameslinger asked, feeling left out.

"He thinks you're right about me being a portal master."

"Booga."

Flameslinger smirked. "I think you two might've bonded already, what with the way you're getting along."

"You think so?" Claire glanced back at her new tiki friend.

"Mmm, booga," The tiki man agreed with a smile.

"Cool," Claire said. "Oh, yeah, we're all supposed to meet at the Core of Light in…what, 45 minutes now?"

"Sounds about right," Flameslinger affirmed.

"So we need to spread the word to the other Skylanders." She addressed Double Trouble. "Wanna help?"

"Ooga booga oh, yeah!" Double Trouble hoisted his staff into the air with gusto.

Flameslinger pointed towards the sky. "That looks like a good place to start."

Claire and Double Trouble followed his line of 'sight' and saw another Skylander soaring towards them. This one was a dragon…wasn't it? Claire wasn't sure: the creature was blue, dragonesque in build, but had swan-like, feathered wings tipped with white, and a bushy, plumed tail. The mystery Skylander landed on the sand in front of them with a graceful swoop.

Claire remembered this Skylander from the poster: her name was Whirlwind, an Air Skylander. Now that the human girl could see her up close, she had a clear view of Whirlwind's elegant beauty, from her dainty paws to her long, downy ears and majestic horn extending from her forehead. The dragoness's eyes were darker blue with aqua irises, and Claire couldn't help but notice that even though they were pretty, their placement on either side of her head gave her a distinctly derpy appearance.

"Oh, my Skylands!" Whirlwind trilled. "I love your scarf! Did you make it yourself?!" she asked, ecstatic. Claire immediately brightened—finally, a bubbly gal pal Skylander!

"No!" she sniggered, holding out her woolen accessory for the dragon to feel. "But I _can_ make scarves! I make them with my mom in winter."

"That's so cool!" Whirlwind squealed. "Please teach me how to make them! I would never have to worry about the cold at high altitudes again!"

Flameslinger and Double Trouble watched the girls with a mixture of astonishment and discomfort. "When did the females take over?" the elf asked. Double Trouble just shrugged.

"Speaking of," Whirlwind continued, giggling. "Where's the blizzard?"

"Huh?" Claire looked down and realized she was still wearing her heavy coat and gloves. Of course, she only started to feel warm once she noticed and quickly shed them. "I forgot I'm not in the snow anymore. Oh, I'm Claire, by the way. You're Whirlwind, right?"

_Why is it she remembers every name but mine?!_ Flameslinger thought heatedly (pun kind of intended), momentarily forgetting about Double Trouble.

"That's right!" she beamed. "Oh, it's so good to finally meet a girl friend who's…well, girly!"

Claire laughed. "I was starting to think it would be hard to find a gal pal here," she admitted, walking towards the dock to hang her coat on a post.

"It kind of is," Whirlwind agreed, walking next to her. "There's only five of us out of thirty-two."

Claire looked up from stuffing her gloves into her coat pockets. "Five girl Skylanders? Really?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it? That's Stealth Elf, Sonic Boom, Cynder, Hex, and me, of course!"

"That's a big guy-to-gal ratio."

"I know! We really need to recruit soon!"

Claire smiled uncomfortably. "Hey, uh, I couldn't help but notice that you look like a dragon, but…prettier."

Whirlwind blushed. "Aww, you're too kind! I'm actually part unicorn, which, uh, explains this." She lit up her horn with the colors of the rainbow.

"That's so cool!" Claire enthused. Whirlwind looked down.

"Based on past experience, it's really not much to be proud of…"

While Claire and Whirlwind became more acquainted by the docks, Flameslinger and Double Trouble stood/floated back on the sand. The elf had his arms crossed.

"Hmph," he muttered. "And here I thought _we_ bonded quickly."

"Ooga."

"But I guess there's no bonding quite like female bonding," he relented.

"Booga."

The boys strode up to the girls just as Whirlwind was finishing telling her backstory to Claire. "I don't hate them…really, I don't! But…they made it really hard to be proud of myself."

Claire looked sympathetic. "Well, saving them from trolls is all well and good, but you made the right choice leaving in the end. It's not good to surround yourself with people who only want to tie you down."

Whirlwind smiled. "That's what Master Eon said when he made me a Skylander. He said that petty jealousy is natural, and it doesn't make you evil, but that doesn't mean you have to yield to it."

_Isn't envy one of the seven deadly sins?_ Claire thought, but inwardly, she agreed with her new dragon friend. _I don't imagine that Christianity is practiced here._

"That's all very nice, ladies," Flameslinger said as he approached. "But Claire, remember why we wanted to speak to Whirlwind in the first place?"

Claire's memory sparked. "Oh, yeah, the meeting!"

"Don't worry!" Whirlwind assured her. "Drobot told me. I've already told the other Air Skylanders, too. The news is spreading like wildfire! I think most of the Skylanders already know."

Claire and Flameslinger stared. "Well, I feel lazy now," the girl said. "We've alerted a grand total of one person!"

"Don't feel bad!" Whirlwind wrapped a feathery wing around Claire's shoulder. "There's still a few we can spread the news to."

"But how are we gonna know which ones have already been told?" Flameslinger raised a point. "We alert the others according to element, and we've no way of knowing which elements got the news."

"Ooga this calls for only one thing, my booga friends!" Double Trouble declared. He raised his staff, which started to glow. "Ooga Booga Boo!"

There was a distinct poofing sound, and all present turned back toward the cliff. Out of nowhere, lit torches and tikis and other tropical decorations appeared, lining the beach with light and color (too bad it was broad daylight).

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Whirlwind praised the tiki man. "There's no better way to get Skylanders all together than a luau!"

"That being said," Flameslinger continued. "How do we get everyone to the beach?"

Whirlwind thought for a moment, and then her face lit up. She took to the skies and lit up her horn, launching a huge rainbow in a perfect arch across the sky (lands). Satisfied, she landed back on the sand, letting the others admire her work.

"Now we wait," she said.

True to her word, within a few minutes, Skylanders from all over the adjoining islands began to stream onto the beach. A leafy dragon who called himself Camo used his Life powers to grow watermelons, and Stealth Elf used her daggers to cut them into edible slices. One nearly exploded all over her, but she kicked it into Camo's face, covering him head to tail with sticky red juice and black seeds. The dragon seemed to get the message and stopped cultivating exploding fruit.

A scary-looking Undead Skylander called Ghost Roaster introduced himself to Claire. His head was a skull with spikes poking out of the top and sharp teeth lining his jaws. His eyes were sickly yellow with red pupils, and he wore a black suit with a red, fanned up collar, reminiscent of a vampire. His skeletal arms were thin and clawed, and he lacked legs, instead supporting himself with a tail attached to a spiked ball and chain. He was much less frightening on the poster to say the least. He was friendly, however, and eager to cook up some food for the party.

Trigger Happy, easily recognizable as he was one of the three figures that came with the game, bounced up with a boom box and set it to play a funky dance song, which was cranked up far too loud. Cynder the violet dragoness spun the volume back down with a deadpan glare at the gremlin, who chuckled nervously.

A finned dragon with a frog-like body wearing oxygen tanks on his back jumped out into the ocean, surfing along the surface while leaving a slime trail behind him.

As the party gradually came together, Claire crossed her arms. "Are you sure you didn't plan this?"

Whirlwind giggled. "Nope! We have parties a lot, though, so the setup's pretty routine."

A few more Skylanders arrived and started dancing. Terrafin popped out of the sand with two poles and a volleyball net, and an odd Skylander reminiscent of a walking bamboo shoot with a bazooka helped him set it up before coming over to meet Claire. The bamboo guy actually hugged her and lifted her up.

"Hey, hey! Welcome to da family, sista!" he exclaimed with a Jamaican accent, squeezing her. Claire was too winded to respond, so he put her down.

"…thanks…" she wheezed, thankful she didn't have asthma, unlike Matt.

"Oh, it's so good to have another portal master after so long!" he went on, smiling broadly. "Eon's gotten so weak; we were all starting to fear for da safety of Skylands! But now dat you and your friend are here, we have double da power!"

"Wait…wait, wait!" Claire made a timeout signal. "How did you know I was a portal master?"

"The same way I did," said Flameslinger. "I think we've all figured you're a portal master since you can use a portal even though you're a human."

"Dat," the bamboo fellow said. "and Drobot scanned your pal earlier. Says he still had some portal magic from warpin' earlier."

"…" Claire clammed up. The reality of her little adventure had just dawned on her: this Skylander had made it clear that he expected her and Matt to help the Skylanders keep their world safe. Sure, it was easy in the game, but, given she wasn't dreaming (which she was really starting to doubt), this was an actual responsibility. She didn't feel magical or special in any way, except for the friendships she had made.

Flameslinger could feel her apprehension. "Claire? Is something wrong?"

The human girl furrowed her brow. "Do we…_have_ to be your portal masters? Do we get a choice?"

The Skylanders were taken aback. "Of course you do!" Flameslinger put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Portal masters appear when they're needed most, but that doesn't mean they have to use their powers. Whether you decide to help us or not is completely up to you."

"But what about our bond?"

The elf smiled. "That's a bond of friendship, Claire. It just means that no matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

Claire felt much better hearing him say that, much to the elf's relief. _Eh, she must think I sound so sappy right now…but it's the truth._

The bamboo Skylander laughed. "Oh, sista, don't you worry about a thing!" he pointed to himself with his thumb. "You let your big brotha Zook take care of things, 'cause now is a time for party!" He pulled a volleyball out of nowhere. "Now we can have some fun before da meeting!"

The party was a pretty smash hit. Pretty soon, all of the Skylanders were well aware of their human visitors and of the meeting concerning their arrival. In the meantime, they ate, swam, surfed, danced and played. Claire found herself playing volleyball even despite her disinterest in the sport.

It was Claire, Zook, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt on one side with Flameslinger, Whirlwind, Double Trouble and Terrafin on the other. Many other Skylanders watched, occasionally playing tag team with current players.

"Here it comes!" Flameslinger served. Zook countered with a balled fist, passing the ball to Claire, who was unskilled at the game and forced to juggle the ball on her wrists until Gill Grunt relieved her and bounced it back over the net. Whirlwind batted it back with her wings and Trigger Happy returned it with his head. Terrafin got carried away and leapt up, spiking the ball so far over the net, it sailed over the other team's heads, conking Ghost Roaster on the skull and making it spin comically. The ball kept going until it hit an unfortunate Matt, who was just descending the stairs with Ignitor, Sonic Boom and her children.

Claire rushed over as Ignitor helped Matt up, who was shaking his head dizzily. "Whoa…" he mumbled. "This must be some party!"

Claire smirked. "He's okay," she assured the others. The volleyball players and a few others came over to get acquainted, and the griffin babies fluttered around Claire.

"Look, guys!" Taylor cried. "It's the girl human!"

"Hi!" Zeke greeted.

"Hello!" Claire replied cheerfully. _Oh my gosh, they're so cute!_

"I like your scarf!" Heather said, grabbing the puffball at the end in her beak and settling down with it on Claire's shoulder. The little griffin snuggled her head against it. "It's so soft!"

Claus landed on Claire's head, making himself comfortable. "Your hair's soft, too!" he exclaimed. "Softer than Matt's!"

"Why, thank you!" Claire beamed, letting the remaining two sit down on her hands.

Sonic Boom was about to chastise the hatchlings for using Claire as a pillow, but decided against it, noticing how happy the five of them looked.

Matt, finished with his newest round of introductions, spoke up. "So…volleyball, huh? Can I play?"

"Hold it!"

Everyone turned to see Slam Bam surf in to shore and amble up to the group, taking a cooler out of nowhere and opening it up to reveal several snow cones lying packed in ice. "I need help eating these snow cones!" he panted, out of breath.

Once the snow cones had been eaten, the volleyball game and dancing resumed. Matt looked back at Claire, who was sitting by the dock with Whirlwind and Double Trouble. "Wanna play, guys?"

They shook their heads. "No thanks," Claire said, looking down at the baby griffins, who were all playing in the folds of her winter coat lying in her lap. Except for Heather, who slept in her arms wrapped in the wooly scarf. "I think I'll sit this one out."

* * *

**Admit it.**

**You want a snow cone now. Or a baby griffin. Probably both.**

**Flynn's pretzels and Matt's suggestion to put them into chocolate candies is a reference to the pretzel M&M commercial featuring Patrick Warburton, Flynn's voice actor. Credit goes to the friendly author Seraph of Enigma, who told me about the commercial to begin with.**

**Sonic Boom's children's names have silly meanings to them (although, just FYI, I dislike going non-canon like this, but the babies don't have official names, so I consider it fair game).**

**Heather: rhymes with feather**

**Zeke: rhymes with beak**

**Claus: sounds sorta like claws**

**Taylor: has "tail" in it**

**This chapter underwent some intensive surgery, so the "heated rivalries" bit I mentioned will come later.**

**As a side note, I'm from the United States, and like Claire, I've never been outside the country, so if I'm making the Skylanders with non-American accents (i.e. Ignitor and Zook) too much like racial stereotypes, please, please, PLEASE let me know! I really just try to make them sound the way they do in the games, but the last thing I want to do is offend anybody, which is why I also don't like to touch anything about religion (Claire's thought about Christianity was really just to remind the reader that she's from the real world and not a fantasy one).**

**That's owl for now. See you guys next time.**


	5. Chapter 5: Theory and a Big Bang

Chapter 5: Theory and a Big Bang

Master Eon himself eventually came down from the tower to enjoy the party in its final moments. He was, of course, too old for volleyball and other beach festivities, but enjoyed a snow cone with some Skylanders by the cliff. When he finished, he called everyone together to announce the meeting's start at the Core in a few minutes, thereby giving everyone time to clean up. It didn't take long for everyone to arrive at the Core: there was an unspoken understanding that it was the permanent meeting place.

"Well, now I suppose it's time for me to shed some light on these unusual occurrences," Eon said, taking stock of the assembly of warriors that had gathered around him. "I think it's safe to say that everyone is aware of our two visitors from Earth, no?"

"We've all met them, Master Eon!" Gill Grunt shouted amongst the murmurs of affirmation. The old portal master nodded.

"Good, good. And I take it will be no surprise to anyone to hear that these two humans are actually portal masters of Earth?"

"None whatsoever!" Prism Break called out in his gravelly tenor.

Claire and Matt turned to Master Eon. "I was hoping we could talk about that first," Claire stated. "First of all, how are you so sure about that? We've always been normal kids on Earth."

Eon smiled mischievously. "Do you recall when we were speaking on the balcony and you claimed to hear something that not even Flameslinger's elf ears could catch?"

The humans shot surprised glances at each other before turning back to Eon incredulously. "You had something to do with that?!" Matt demanded. Eon laughed.

"Indeed I did, young ones! You see, I activated my portal while we were conversing to see if you would sense the action...and you did! That noise was actually a sensation in the mind that only portal masters like myself can pick up on. When you voiced your suspicions earlier, that was all the proof I needed to ensure that you two are indeed portal masters."

"But Master Eon," Spyro interjected as the humans looked at each other disbelievingly. "The human portal masters have all been gone for thousands of years. Why would they suddenly reappear like this?"

Eon frowned, his air of seriousness returning. "That's where things get interesting, Spyro. I believe that the reason the portals are reemerging on Earth is because the innate power of the Earth portal masters is being reawakened by a catalyst.

"You see, the portal masters haven't disappeared at all, for as you are all aware, they are born, not made; they always appear when the worlds need them most. Now, the Darkness is bound to return soon, and that means that new portal masters are due to make a reappearance," He paused, letting that sink in. "I certainly didn't expect the new portal masters to come from Earth, because the world has been cut off from the flow of the magic of Skylands for so long: the portal magic has faded away. Because of this, the humans have long since forgotten about Skylands. But now, something—a catalyst—has triggered the magic within the portal masters, and the portals that have been buried beneath the Earth are responding by unearthing themselves near portal masters' homes."

Claire and Matt appeared uneasy. Flameslinger and Ignitor wondered if they were getting closer to the truth that the humans had been reluctant to reveal.

Matt took a step back, indicating that he wanted Claire to say something, which she did. "What kind of catalyst do you mean?" she asked Eon.

"It would be something that alerts a portal master of the existence of Skylands, and the role they and the Skylanders play in defending the realm from danger. That knowledge would trigger the reawakening." Eon arched a bushy brow. "Did something like that happen to you two?"

"That's _exactly_ what happened!" Matt proclaimed, ecstatic that something was finally making at least some sense. "Because back on our world, the Skylanders have been incorporated into a video game!"

Most of the Skylanders weren't sure how to take the revelation, and many voiced their confusion, but the only outburst was Trigger Happy's cheerful shout of, "Cool!"

Claire and Matt looked about the crowd in bewilderment.

"…y'all are taking this _way_ better than we thought you would," Claire admitted. She immediately noticed Flameslinger's look of relief. _…What exactly was he expecting?_ she wondered. Matt was having a hard time reading Ignitor's expression, but he didn't really expect to in the first place.

Eon tapped the ground with his staff, returning order to the assembly."This complicates things," he muttered, bringing a gnarled hand to his head. "I didn't expect the catalyst to be this conspicuous. On top of that, the only way something like that is possible is if someone from Skylands is living down on Earth and played a part in the development of this game."

"It gets weirder," Claire added. "The game was released a few months ago, meaning that the reawakening should have started then instead of now, right? There would be more people than just us."

"Also," Matt continued, remembering something. "Spyro the dragon has had his own video game series since way before Skylanders."

The purple dragon cocked his head at the humans. "Me?"

"Yep," said Matt. "You're pretty popular, too, though they redesigned you a bit over the years."

"Ya' hear that, Spyro?" Gill Grunt said gleefully as he slapped his dragon friend on the back, knocking him down with a grunt. "You're a super star!"

"Yeah, Spyro, that's awesome!" Trigger Happy shouted, jumping on his back. Spyro released a small puff of smoke from having the air knocked out of him.

"…Then why don't I feel more excited right now?" he muttered. His oblivious friends seemed not to hear.

Eon's head reeled with the perplexity of the situation. "I suppose we can investigate the matter at a later time," he suggested. "We simply don't have enough information to form a solid theory. Instead, why don't you tell us about the game? Perhaps it can enlighten us as to what's really going on."

"Alright," Claire agreed, and everyone quieted to listen. "All the Skylanders and you, Master Eon, are in the game."

"And the Skylanders are the playable characters," Matt explained. "The game comes with a little toy portal that acts like a scanner, and the Skylanders are little plastic figurines that you buy separately..."he trailed off when he noticed that everyone's attention was focused on him.

"Right," Claire picked up. "And what you do is you place a Skylander figurine on the portal to send them into the game."

"That has got to be the most impressive marketing scheme I've ever heard," Flynn approved as he munched on his pretzel-filled chocolate candies. "Almost as impressive as me…BOOM!" he bellowed, spraying chocolate bits everywhere. Cynder shot the pilot a glare, although Flynn seemed to be enjoying the attention.

"Interesting…" Eon pondered, ignoring the outburst. "What about the story? What happens to the Skylanders in the game?"

"Well," Claire began. "The story starts with you, Master Eon, explaining to the player about the Sky…landers…" It was then that horrible realization struck. She glanced with dread-filled eyes at Matt, who had just remembered the same thing she had.

_He speaks to the player…as a spiritual floating head!_

If Eon was standing here next to them with a proper physical body, then that meant…

"…Matt?" Claire whispered. "Do you think the events of the game will happen here, too?"

Matt glanced worriedly at his new friends before casting his gaze to the ground. "Considering everything that's happened? …Probably."

Everyone saw the worry plastered to the humans' faces, and Eon became concerned. "Is something troubling you, young ones?" he asked gently.

Matt and Claire looked up into the kindly old eyes that had greeted them with such surprise and compassion an hour prior. The game had claimed Eon to be the last good portal master of Skylands. Would he really be destroyed alongside the Core of Light?

Not if they warned him first.

"Master Eon," Claire said urgently. "We think you're in danger. There's something really bad coming, so you need to get to safety before—"

_FWOOOOSSSHHH!_

"…that happens."

Everyone looked up to see a massive shroud of darkness materialize in the sky, drawing closer to the island without the aid of the wind. The boiling, tumultuous mass thundered with frightening closeness, and the Skylanders all made ready to deal with whatever lay within.

Eon gritted his teeth. "The Darkness!" he growled. Matt and Claire stared up at the imposing force of evil, knowing what was going to happen next.

Or so they thought, anyway.

"AAAAAHHH!" Claire shrieked.

"URRRRGGH!" Matt groaned.

The humans both clutched at their heads and collapsed, bodies trembling from the shock of the surprise onslaught. Their brains suddenly felt as if they had been dunked into an electrified ocean of oblivion. The pain was more intense than anything they had ever felt; it was all-consuming, despite being confined to their minds. Their muscles convulsed as if exposed to high voltage, and even the tears streaming down their faces seemed to sizzle.

"CLAIRE!"

"MATT!"

A group of horrified Skylanders, with Flameslinger and Ignitor in the lead, rushed over to the humans' sides and knelt down helplessly, completely clueless as to what they could do to help.

"Get them to the Core!" Eon barked. "Dispel the Darkness before it eats their minds away!"

Wasting no time, the Skylanders pulled the enfeebled humans to their feet and dragged them over to the green dome, with Flameslinger and Terrafin supporting Claire and Ignitor and Slam Bam helping Matt. The Skylanders quickly thrust the humans' hands onto the Core's outer wall.

The effect was obvious and immediate. Waves of light magic undulated across the surface of the humans' bodies. Their limbs ceased to tremble, and their shallow breathing returned to normal. The pain had completely evaporated, leaving them feeling refreshed although the experience was still clear in their minds, and they sighed with relief.

"What the heck was that?!" Matt shouted angrily, keeping his hand plastered firmly on the Core. Claire did the same.

"Thank you," she murmured to the Skylanders. Terrafin was livid at the Darkness's arrival, and Flameslinger's ears were drooping from the ordeal. Claire immediately remembered the bond she shared with the elf and wondered if he had felt her pain.

Matt noticed the same with Ignitor, who was burning much lower than usual. He swiftly flared back up as if to cover up his moment of weakness. "Are you alright?" the knight asked him, and Matt nodded, not wanting to distress his friend further.

Eon made his way over to the group, his features hardened with dignified rage. "The Darkness wreaks havoc on portal masters of light," he explained with unnerving calm. "Thankfully, the Core's magic is strong enough to repel the Darkness, and I remain unaffected because of all the time I've spent near it. It has also powered you up with light magic, so you can let go now."

Claire and Matt had half a mind to hug the Core and never let go, but did as Eon instructed. Indeed, they felt a bit stronger than before, like they could handle another assault and shrug it off.

**"HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!"**

All present looked back up at the Darkness. A looming shape was emerging from the depths, propelled by rockets. It was a flying fortress, not particularly impressive or impenetrable-looking. It didn't even look that evil, though it was apparent.

Out of nowhere, an enormous projection of a blue, hooded face appeared next to the castle, cackling in an oddly warped voice, obviously altered to sound scary. The attempt fell short, to put it kindly.

**"BEHOLD! It is I, Kaos! Long have I waited for this day to take my revenge!"** The projection bobbed and weaved about in the air as it shrieked. **"Soon, you will all bow down before me!"** The head floated closer. **"Kaos! K-A-O-S!"**

"Agaaain?" Trigger Happy whined.

"Downer," Slam Bam crossed his arms.

"Man!" Terrafin growled, punching at the air. "That guy owes me five dollahs!"

"Kaos!" Eon spat. "I might've known. And…" he paused. "What happened to your head? It looks ridiculous."

**"Huh?! WHAT?!"** Kaos's head screeched. The real Kaos was watching from within his fortress, his portal bathing his actual face in a reddish glow. The humans knew the evil portal master to be even uglier than the illusion: they remembered his wide grimacing mouth with misplaced pointed teeth lining the lower jaw, his squished nose and bald head, and his enormous bugged eyes flanked by black markings like clown make-up gone horribly wrong, not to mention the odd blue markings in his forehead.

He was, of course, quite short, his long black robes with pointed collar (Black Mumbaaaaa!) dragging along the floor. "Heh?!" Kaos recoiled. "My head is awesome, I tell you! Fear it!" he screamed at his portal. "FEAR MY GIANT, FLOATING HEAD!"

"See? I told you the head wasn't scary enough." Standing next to Kaos with clipboard in hand was a tall, trim, green-skinned troll, only marginally less brutish and ugly as his squat, dull-witted counterparts. He wore a raggedy brown vest and matching trousers, but no shoes, leaving his clawed, four-toed feet exposed.

"SILENCE, GLUMSHANKS!" Kaos shrilled. "You're spoiling my evil mood," he said importantly, turning back to the portal. Glumshanks glanced skyward, but said nothing.

The Skylanders and good portal masters, of course, didn't see the exchange, although it was fairly fresh in the humans' minds.

**"You thought you had banished me to the Outlands?"** the head resumed. **"HA HA HAHAHAHAHA! I, Kaos, have returned to destroy the Core of Light and rule Skylands as its emperor! And you are so old and weak now, Eon,"** Kaos taunted. **"There is nothing you can do about—huh?"**

Kaos peered closer at the group, blank eyes finding two unexpected attendants. **"What in Skylands are those hideous creatures?"** the head snarled. Claire and Matt, of course, didn't take the insult seriously: they knew how ugly Kaos really was.

"These two are new human portal masters of Earth, Kaos!" Eon called up to his foe. "And already, they are far more powerful than you! I may be old, but when I fall, they will take my place as your adversaries!"

**"Humans? Portal masters?!"** Kaos fell into a cacophonous laughing fit. **"You really think those inferior otherworldly _freaks_ can wield portals?! Oh, that's rich! HA HAHAHAHA!"**

While Kaos continued to insult them, Eon turned his attention to the human portal masters. "You _will_ take my place as leaders of the Skylanders, won't you, young ones?" he asked, as gentle and kind as when he first met them, although a little sad. "You've already bonded with a few, and that's what gives you strength. I know that you can and will defeat Kaos."

Matt replied without hesitating. "Yes." He somehow knew that other, more qualified portal masters weren't about to show up anytime soon, and he was ready to knock a few of Kaos's teeth loose.

"Wait!" Claire cried, shocking everyone. The concern on her face quickly explained her reasons before she even voiced them. "Eon, you're not going to survive this attack," she told him. "This is exactly what happens in the game, to the letter. The Skylanders are going to get banished to Earth and turned into toys, the Core's going to blow up, and you're going to be destroyed with it."

"Wait, wait," Wham-Shell interjected. "You're sayin' we're gonna be banished to Earth and turned into toys?!"

"That actually happens _in_ the game?" Trigger Happy cried, a maniacal smile splitting his face. "Awesome!"

Chop Chop marched up and ignored Matt, much to his surprise, staring Claire right in the eyes. "What was that about Master Eon?" he asked quietly.

Claire was unnerved by the Undead Skylander's demeanor, so she averted her gaze toward the old portal master. "The game says that you'll be turned into a spirit."

The Skylanders cried out in anger, but Eon remained surprisingly unfazed. "I know, young portal master," he looked straight into her eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I knew the Darkness was coming, and I knew I wouldn't be able to lead the Skylanders to victory this time: I'm simply too old. Now that new portal masters have been revealed, I am ready to resign."

The resignation in his tone struck something in Claire's heart, and her green eyes blurred a bit.

"Yes, my time has come, and though it pains me to leave my dear friends, I know that now is the time for the next generation of portal masters to take over my duties…and it starts with you."

"But, Master Eon," Claire choked. "Can't you escape with us to Earth through a portal?"

The old portal master shook his head. "Portal masters of Skylands aren't supposed to use portals on themselves. It has some rather unpleasant side effects: I probably wouldn't survive."

"Wait," Matt interjected. "What about what you said earlier? About using the portal instead of the stairs?"

Eon chuckled sadly. "That was wishful thinking, young one. Nothing more."

Matt looked satisfied, if not apprehensive about the whole thing, but Claire stood silently, too conflicted to respond. Matt approached her, grasping her arm lightly. "Eon knows what he's doing. You have to trust him."

The distraught girl managed a nod, still upset but determined to fulfill Eon's final wish.

The Skylanders looked pretty sad as well, but they had all known for a while that Eon didn't have much longer, and that he would stay by their side to the end.

Kaos, of course, was too busy gloating to catch any of the conversation, but suddenly noticed that those present had stopped paying attention to him (Now you know how Weegee feels).

**"Heh? HEY! Pay attention to me! You can't just ignore your new emperor!"**

He went unnoticed by the assembly, who were more interested in Master Eon's plan. "Kaos is going to send in his minions any minute now. I want you all to fight them off while I lead these two," he gestured to Matt and Claire. "To the balcony to fetch a few items they're going to need. Flameslinger, Ignitor, I want you two to cover us. Kaos says he wants to destroy the Core…" he focused on the humans. "Do you know how he plans to do this?"

They shook their heads guiltily. "No…the game doesn't show how he does it," Matt responded.

"So there's no way we can, you know...stop it?" Trigger Happy asked.

"Then what's the point of knowing beforehand?!" Stump Smash roared angrily, pounding a hammer-like stump into the ground.

Eon looked troubled. "I'm afraid there's not much we can do to prepare. Everyone stay alert."

"What about me?" Flynn asked, indignant. Most present were surprised at his bravery.

"Fly to safety, Flynn," Eon advised. "We're going to be in need of your services later. Hugo will be safe here, but be sure to come back for him." Flynn saluted.

**"Okay, that's it!"** Kaos shouted, fed up with being ignored. **"Have it your way! Which also happens to be MY WAY! MINIONS!"**

At Kaos's command, a hefty assortment of dark creatures ranging from cyclopses to Drow was beamed down to the islands, ready to carry out their master's commands. But the Skylanders were prepared, too.

"Skylanders!" Eon thundered, raising his staff. The warriors, with Spyro in the lead, surged toward the offenders, brandishing weapons and powering up abilities.

"Go!" Eon urged his party to follow him back to the balcony. They all ran through the melee, the humans supporting Eon when he began to fall behind and the fire Skylanders keeping the enemies at bay. Flameslinger sniped them with lit arrows, each one hitting the mark with deadly accuracy, and Ignitor slashed at any that strayed too close.

They made it to the watch tower and practically body slammed the doors open (it was super effective), bolting up the stairs and arriving back at the balcony.

While Flameslinger took his post at the railing and continued to pick off enemies from afar, Eon knocked on a covered port in the floor. Matt had a thought.

"Why didn't we just teleport here?" he asked.

"Portal masters can't use their powers without a portal," Eon explained as Hugo appeared from the port and handed the portal master two small objects. Eon thanked Hugo, who disappeared back into the port, and then turned to the humans. "And that's why you'll be needing these."

Eon offered Claire and Matt two small, watch-like items. They were tiny portals, almost just like the ones Claire had seen in the starter packs for the 3DS version of _Spyro's Adventure_ in the store. These looked more real, obviously not made of plastic, and they were attached to straps that appeared to be leather, yet gleamed like brushed copper.

"These are mini portals," said Eon. "With these you can use your powers anytime. They're powered by your own supply of portal magic, and you can send the Skylanders to various locations with them, even between Earth and Skylands. However, they're not strong enough to warp humans like yourselves between worlds because you aren't magically connected to Skylands." He attached them to the humans' wrists. "You'll have to use a large portal for that. Be warned: if you run out of magic, you'll have to wait until it regenerates in order to warp again."

While Eon was explaining the basics of being a portal master to the humans, the battlegrounds below were heating up. Spyro rammed into enemies with his horns before taking to the skies and hailing down fireballs (yum!...okay, sorry, I had to!). Gill Grunt shot off his deadly harpoons, using his water-powered jetpack to dodge a charging Drow Goliath and then hosing him with a highly-pressurized stream of water. Terrafin socked cyclopses with his meaty fists and leapt up to catch the dropped EXP orbs in his mouth, diving back into the ground to tackle more enemies from below. As he leapt up from the earth to crush his prey in a belly flop, Stump Smash ran after a few grunts, hammering them into oblivion.

The tree flinched when he felt an axe cleave into his back and turned around, startled to find he was confronted by more enemies than he could handle alone. Fortunately, a gold coin shot through the air and smacked into a cyclops mammoth, defeating it and scattering its EXP. Trigger Happy leapt into the fray, shooting his golden guns wildly and cackling like the maniac he was. The gremlin paused and grinned at Stump Smash expectantly, who got the idea: ranged attacks worked best for this kind of situation.

Stump Smash coughed up a large acorn, launching it at the nearest foe. It proved effective, and so the Skylander duo slung gold coin bullets and projectile nuts every which way, decimating the opposition. Soon only two drow goliaths remained, who rushed the warriors with raised shield bashers. Trigger Happy charged up a super shot and blasted one goliath to EXP smithereens. Following the gremlin's example, Stump Smash coughed up a mega nut, which chased the now-fleeing goliath until it crushed him.

The other Skylanders were faring just as well, or better. Drobot soared like a rocket through the skies above and rained down laser-y death on his enemies. Double Trouble's Eldritch Beam latched on to his adversaries and pumped devastatingly powerful magic into them, racking up damage by the dozen. Slam Bam whaled on huge Drow Goliaths, tearing off their shields with ease and then freezing them in blocks of ice. Chop Chop's blade was swift and lethal; those who dared challenge him immediately regretted it.

Indeed, it was a very one-sided battle, with minimal damage to the Skylanders. And Glumshanks knew it.

"Okay," the troll said, scribbling on his notepad. "I worked it out…" he showed his work to Kaos, pointing out the pitifully small number of tally marks listed under 'KAOS' and the plethora of them under 'EON'. "We're losing," he deadpanned.

As Kaos paced along the rim of his portal, Glumshanks tried to be helpful. "Maybe we should go to Plan B."

"No, Glumshanks," Kaos replied, grapping the troll by the ear. "I have a much better idea! Initiate…" he turned around and pointed at nothing in an attempt to look epic (fail). "PLAN C!"

Back on the ground, the Skylanders were celebrating their landslide victory. Or at least they did until they heard a click and the sound of something powering up. Everyone looked up at the evil fortress. Eon actually shivered at the sight of a huge shadow crawling over the island.

"What is _that_?" Matt's eyes widened. The Skylanders were all starting to look alarmed.

"Not the Core!" Eon gasped, suddenly understanding just how easy it would be for that…_thing_ to destroy it. He turned back to the humans with urgency in his eyes. "Get on the portal, now!"

The humans had no objections although Claire hesitated, forcing Matt to grab her and drag her onto the portal's swirling surface. Ignitor placed himself in front of the humans, knowing full well that his efforts to protect them were probably futile.

"Claire! Warp now!" Flameslinger hollered.

"Um…Earth please?" Claire asked. Nothing happened, so Matt spoke up.

"…Now!" he asserted. The portal powered up, glowing brightly. Claire's eyes darted between the looming threat and Master Eon. This was so much scarier in reality…knowing what was about to happen only made it worse.

Claire felt a hand grasp hers. It was Flameslinger, wearing a look of determination. Claire squeezed his hand tightly, mustering as much courage as she could.

Four long shadows writhed over the Core, the Skylanders watching helplessly.

"No!" Eon cried.

It was too late.

An enormous explosion ensued, engulfing the entire island complex in smoke and blue flames shooting out in every direction. Kaos's castle was sent flying head-over-heels into the distance. The Skylanders were all blown clear through the dimensions, and the humans and Eon had disappeared.

Everything was ruined and smoking heavily. In the midst of the wreckage, a charred port cover lifted up, revealing a shaken mole-like Mabu.

"Master Eon?" Hugo called. "Anyone?"

* * *

**And then there was one.**

**Poorly executed Megamind reference FTW.**

**I have so much fun coming up with chapter titles. I don't even think I'm that good at it, I just think it's a fun part of storytelling. And yes, The Big Bang Theory is my favorite sitcom.**

**If anyone finds a problem with my explanation of portal masters on Earth in real life, like a plot hole or something, don't be shy to speak up. I will do my best to make sure the story runs smoothly for you guy's enjoyment.**

**Kaos has finally arrived with his butler, Glumshanks, the most epic name ever!**

**I really don't know how to take Kaos. I mean, he's a total loser who thinks he's all that and doesn't know when to quit, but he also managed to get rid of EVERY SINGLE SKYLANDS HERO IN ONE TRY! Holy crap, what other children's video game villain can pull that off?**

***Cough!* *Tabuu* *Cough!***

**If you would like to see a certain Skylander have some more screen time, go ahead and leave a suggestion via review or PM. There are so many Skylanders to keep up with; I just know that I'm going to leave some characters empty-handed. So any feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**That's owl for this lengthy endnote. See y'all next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Division and Conquest

Chapter 6 – Division and Conquest

Legend:

"_Italicized quotations,"_ – figurine Skylanders' speech

"**Bold quotations,"** – speech coming through a portal

"CAPITALIZED QUOTATIONS," – robotic speech

Claire's Diary:

_Foreword:_

_Years ago, I decided to keep this diary (and "persuaded" Matt to do likewise) to aid in any possible future endeavors of portal masters after us. If you've picked up our journals, congratulations, you've allied yourself with the right people, rest assured. If you're unsure of how to feel and what to do regarding managing the Skylanders, keep reading. If you need help with controlling and understanding your portal magic, I recommend reading Matt's work._

_Entry One,_

_I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Skylands, of all video game worlds, is real. Granted, video game worlds aren't exactly realistic, but why not something like the Halo universe? Not that I've ever played it, but I have an easier time believing in something futuristic than fantasy. Skylands is just so…cushy. The weird magical physics keep people from really getting hurt, for the most part. And apart from anarchic monsters, the world seems to lack real strife, as found on Earth._

_Anyway, enough blathering. What's really important is that Matt, my best friend since second grade, and I are portal masters. Apparently we were born like this, and recently, our magic has been reawakened after thousands of years. Farfetched, right? What are the odds of two best friends and neighbors both being portal masters? That's why I think there's another factor involved. And in order to find others like us, we'll have to uncover it._

_How there can be a video game modeled almost perfectly after a world dimensions away is beyond me, but I intend to find out. No doubt the Skylanders, with their wide array of skills, can help, but only after they're done protecting Skylands. That's their job after all; I can't expect them to put my problems first. And anyway, I need to help them accomplish their goals._

_That's what portal masters do, apparently._

_~Claire_

* * *

Claire woke up very cold. Her eyes snapped open from the shock of the sudden chill and she bolted upright, trying to rub some warmth back into her numbing limbs.

She blinked the bleariness out of her vision and realized she was in her snow covered backyard, still untouched by anything but her footprints. She and Matt lived out in the countryside, and Claire's backyard backed up to woods that led to an open pasture, so it wasn't fenced in. Claire looked down and noticed immediately why she was so cold: she'd left her coat and gloves behind, leaving only her snow-soaked shirt and scarf to guard her from the biting icy slush.

Claire heard a faint humming behind her and twisted around to find the portal she had touched earlier, still releasing a calming silvery mist. Another, higher-pitched humming caught her ear, and that's when she noticed the mini-portal wrapped around her wrist, glowing faintly.

"…I think I believe that I wasn't dreaming now," she muttered.

"_Maybe it would've been better if you had."_

Claire started, and then looked around for the source of the voice. It seemed to ring in her brain rather than her ears, so she had trouble recognizing it at first. "Who said that? Where are you?" she called.

"_I'm right here in your hand, Claire."_

The girl paused before slowly looking down at her tightly clenched hand. It was frozen stiff, so she had to carefully rub warmth and back into each finger, painfully restoring the circulation before prying them off of whatever lay grasped within. After a minute, the speaker became apparent.

"Flameslinger!" Claire cried. Indeed, the Skylander was now a miniaturized, immobile version of himself, a tiny statue of a blindfolded elf frozen (no pun intended) into the position of nocking a flaming arrow to his bow. He looked more authentic than the toys that had come with the game: rather than being made of plastic, he appeared to be made of a stony material and the base of still fire that he stood on almost seemed to emanate warmth.

"_The one and only,"_ the elf greeted her grimly. _"That was some ride. Are you alright? You seem a bit shaken up."_

"I'm fine…" Claire assured him. "But I'm more worried about you! You can't move, not to mention your size! Do you feel okay?"

"_I'm, uh, a little numb,"_ he admitted. _"And it's weird not speaking with my mouth…But as long as you're the one handling me, I think I'll be alright."_

They both heard some snow shifting about behind them. Claire turned to see none other than Matt lying with his arms splayed out. Anybody else would've thought he'd fallen asleep making a snow angel (Claire wouldn't have put it past him). The boy pulled himself up slowly, rubbing the snow out of his soaked auburn hair in an attempt to warm up his achingly cold scalp.

"…Hey, guys…" he greeted blearily, noticing the elf in her hand. "Let's not do that again."

"_Erm…excuse me?"_ a familiar cockney accent called out. _"Can you hear me?"_

The portal masters perked up. "Ignitor!" Matt hollered. "Where are you?"

"_I-I can't really say! All I can see is white!"_ the knight called back. Matt and Claire helped each other up and began to look for the knight in the snow.

"There you are!" Matt scooped up the unmoving knight and brushed the snow off of him. "You okay, dude?"

"_Never mind me! What happened to the others?"_ the knight asked.

"I don't know about the Skylanders," Matt said, casting around for any other figurines lying about. He grew uncomfortable. "Master Eon…" he trailed off.

Claire looked down. "He's…okay, right? He should have turned into a spirit."

"**No need to worry, young portal masters."**

The humans jumped, and the Skylanders, well…yeah, couldn't. Anyway, they turned around to face the large portal, above which hovered none other than…

"Master Eon!" all present exclaimed. The smiling visage of the old portal master beamed down at them.

"**I'd say 'in the flesh,' but that's not exactly appropriate here,"** Eon looked down at himself. He was just his head, exactly as they remembered it in person, only bigger and somewhat transparent like a hologram. **"I must say, it's quite a welcome relief from the lower back pain."**

"_It's good to see you're okay, Master Eon,"_ Flameslinger said, Claire holding him upright. _"But what happened to our friends?"_

"**They've been scattered, but they are within reach,"** Eon explained. **"You see, just before the explosion, I used the last of my power to try and keep the Skylanders from dispersing all over the Earth's dimension, as I figured they would. I locked their magical signature onto yours, so that they would land near you."**

All present stared. "You can do that?" Matt asked.

"**I can. Or rather, could. Unfortunately, my power had grown weak with age, so they may be scattered much farther than would be convenient."**

"Convenient?" Claire echoed. "Like, how convenient?"

"**I kept them from landing on the moon."**

All present groaned.

"Should've seen _that_ coming…" Matt muttered. "Anyway, how did you know they would land in Earth's dimension at all?"

Eon grinned. **"**_**You**_** told **_**me**_**, remember? Also, since your arrival, the magical bonds between Earth and Skylands have reappeared, so I knew they would follow that interdimensional path."**

Claire crossed her arms, propping Flameslinger up in the crook of her elbow. "How did the Core exploding banish them here? I don't get how that works."

"**Ah,"** Eon shook his head. **"The Core once harbored powerful, concentrated light magic. When it was destroyed, the careful balance of the elements inside it was disrupted and rapidly became unstable. That massive explosion contained magic so powerful, it completely severed the Skylanders' magical connection to Skylands, sending them hurtling through the dimensions and immobilizing them into tiny statues."**

Claire and Matt glanced at each other and the latter shrugged. "Eh, makes about as much sense as the rest of Skylands. So how do we find them?"

"**That will come a little later. You must first be instructed in the proper use of your portals."**

"Right now?" Claire asked.

"_I don't think it's a good idea to leave them lying around,"_ Ignitor said. _"What if someone picks them up?"_

Eon scowled to himself. **"It's a risk we'll have to take. Once you two understand the basics, it will be much easier to find them."**

"Oh, so we can use the portals to find them?" Matt cocked an eyebrow.

"Can they really reach all over the world?" Claire asked with wide eyes.

"**Indeed!"** Eon brightened. **"That's lesson one: sensing the Skylanders' whereabouts. Let's start immediately."**

Claire brought out her cell phone and typed on it. "We should head deeper into the woods, then, so no one interrupts us."

"What are you doing?" Matt asked.

"Leaving a text for Mom telling her I'm out playing in the snow with you."

"…" Matt quietly produced his own phone and did the same (With his mom, of course. Nitpicky much.). "Wow, it's already 11:30? I guess it's been all morning."

Claire, chilled to the bone, ran into her house to grab another brown coat (she has _two_ brown heavy coats?), her spare gloves and a silky purple scarf. When she was garbed up properly, the young portal masters pocketed their Skylanders and trudged through the snow to a secluded clearing flanked by trees, the evergreens drooping under the weight of their frozen burden. Eon's floating head reappeared to them.

"**Are you ready? Then let's begin,"** Eon said. **"Step one: activate your portal."**

Claire and Matt stared blankly.

"***Sigh* Touch it with your free hand."**

"Ah."

"Oh."

They did, and the mini portals started to glow brighter.

"**Good,"** said Eon. **"Step two: allow the portal to show you anywhere you like…but be warned. Areas clouded with Darkness will block your magic. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any on Earth, so why don't you try looking around the surrounding area?"**

Matt and Claire were unsure of how to use the portals the way Eon described, but as they gazed into their swirling depths, expecting something to appear to them, they were surprised to find that something did. They felt a surge of power, not unlike the Darkness-purging light magic that had saved them earlier, and projections floated out of each portal, splaying out and hovering in front of the portal masters.

"Whoa!"

Claire's portal displayed the neighborhood: its wide open spaces, mobile homes and immobile homes were a bit translucent, but distinct nonetheless. Matt had opted to see the town, and his portal showed the short stretch of highway (with its whopping two traffic lights…yeah, small town), fringed by restaurants and small shops, with the schools hiding out a few streets over.

The projections zoomed in when they focused on a particular area, and rotated to give them the view they wanted.

"This is like an Iron Man movie," Matt said, impressed. "The only thing missing is Jarvis."

"**Excellent, you seem to have gotten the hang of it,"** Eon nodded in satisfaction. **"Now comes the harder part: listening for the Skylanders. Even if they're not calling out to you, portal masters can locate their Skylanders with their magic using that special 'portal sense' I told you about. It's rather hard to explain how to use it, so I'll teach you the method I used myself. Close your eyes to focus and think of the Skylanders. Remember that they are your friends, and your portal will help you find them."**

Still a little doubtful, the humans complied. They thought of the incredible creatures they had befriended not long ago, of the party they had shared, and of the Skylanders sitting in their pockets right now. Claire thought of Double Trouble and Whirlwind especially, and Matt hoped Sonic Boom and her kids were alright.

True to Eon's words, the portals glowed bright, and indulged their minds' eyes with the information they wanted. Claire's eyes flew open.

"The pond! That's where Whirlwind is! She's closest!" she cried triumphantly. She paused. "Huh, she landed really close, considering they're supposed to have scattered all over the world."

"**That would be your bond at work,"** Eon explained. **"Just like Flameslinger, Whirlwind has bonded to you magically, so she was drawn to your magical signature upon her arrival to Earth."**

Matt's eyes shot open. "Wait, what? Bond?" he questioned. "Did I miss something here?"

Claire blinked. "You…no one's explained that to you yet?"

"No," Matt said, a rare hint of annoyance creeping into his tone. Now that he thought about it, Eon had said something about that before the Core exploded…

"**Allow me to explain,"** Eon said. **"Portal masters share a bond with their Skylanders that allows them to profoundly understand each other."**

"'A level of understanding so deep, it redefines the word, 'trust'" Claire quoted. "Flameslinger explained it to me. I think it's safe to assume you've bonded with Ignitor."

Matt took a second to process this information, and then brought Ignitor back out of his pocket. He stared down at the little toy. "Have we bonded, Ignitor?"

"…_Oh, yes, I believe we have,"_ Ignitor sounded uncertain, and Matt was surprised to find that he felt another heat wave of guilt wash through his system. It finally clicked.

"So it _was_ your guilt I felt earlier!" Matt recalled.

"…_Erm, yes…"_ the knight said uneasily. Matt could tell he was being guarded about something. _Hex, maybe? That's what we were talking about when he acted like this earlier…_

"…I don't understand," Matt said, frowning. "If we're bonded, why don't you trust me?"

Ignitor sighed, and Matt felt a twinge of his annoyance. Matt was surprised that, despite his body consisting of fire, he seemed to lack a temper. _"It's not you I don't trust, Matthew,"_ Ignitor said tiredly. _"It's me. Can we talk about this later?"_

"…Yeah, alright," Matt consented, not entirely comfortable. "…Let's get down to business (to defeat…the huuuuuuns, huah!). I'll try and find Sonic Boom and Drobot, I guess."

He put a hand on his portal and closed his eyes again. His mind's eye, he was disappointed to find, was hazy, and he couldn't get a clear lock on any Skylanders.

"See anything? ...Matticus?"

"…" Matt opened his eyes slowly and frowned at Claire. "…It's…not that clear to me, honestly," he admitted. "I think you're better at this than I am."

Eon floated closer. **"Don't fret, young portal master. These things take practice. But we've got no time to lose now, so let's move on to teleporting."**

For the next ten minutes, Eon instructed the two human portal masters in the art of warping the Skylanders and themselves from place to place, using their immobile (but still fiery!) companions to practice. It wasn't long before they got the gist of it.

Claire aimed her portal at Flameslinger and gathered magic into her portal. She was still getting used to the tingly sensation that came with portal magic: it was as if her body was being charged with electricity, which then concentrated into her wrist. From the portal, she shot a burst of portal magic at the elf, engulfing him in light before sending him off elsewhere. Claire then slogged through the trees until she reached the one she hoped she had sent her friend to: it had a thick, leafless branch that jutted out perfectly horizontally, an ideal platform for a tiny figurine.

She was disappointed, however, that the elf hadn't warped where she wanted him to go—_again_. She growled in frustration.

"_Relax, Claire, I'm not that far off target…really!" _Flameslinger encouraged from the base of a tree about ten yards away. _"Even I didn't hit the bull's-eye every time at one point."_

"First of all," Claire said irritably as she bent over to pick him up. "That's _archery._ And more importantly, Skylands is depending on me to learn this stuff, granted there aren't any other portal masters besides Matt to help."

A flash of light appeared over her hands and she yelped, falling backwards. The snow soaked her back, but cushioned her fall, and she groaned tiredly as she looked at the small form of Ignitor sitting in her hand next to Flameslinger.

"_Sorry 'bout that, milady,"_ the knight apologized. _"Sir Matthew is rather adept at warping, apparently."_

"That makes one of us," Claire muttered.

Matt walked out from the bare grove and approached Claire, offered her a hand, and helped her up. "Hey, you're still better at finding the Skylanders than I am," he pointed out, taking back Ignitor.

Eon materialized next to them. **"That enough for now, young ones. It's a good idea to conserve your portal magic when you can, for you'll be useless if you run out far from a large portal. Since you're just beginning, I'd say you can teleport five times daily with the mini-portals before you run out."**

Matt brushed the snow off the back of Claire's coat. "How do you figure?" he questioned. "We've each warped ourselves and these two about fifteen times by now."

"**The light magic you absorbed must not have worn off yet,"** Eon surmised. **"That would explain how you can use the portals so easily despite it being your first time. Light magic is very guiding…" **the old portal master turned spirit cast his gaze down sadly. **"And now Skylands is without its guiding light. The Core must be rebuilt, and quickly before the Darkness is allowed to spread."**

"Let me think," Claire brought a fist to her chin. "The game says that the Core exploding and the Darkness coming back causes a bunch of chaos…as in calamities and misfortune, not the little freak show."

"And it said the Mabears would need the Skylanders' help," Matt concluded. "A twister was tearing through some islands."

"_Mabu_," Ignitor corrected.

Claire frowned in concern. "You don't think that's happening now, do you?"

Eon floated over to the big portal. **"Why don't we take a look? I hope you've figured out by now that portal magic is not about control, but guidance. You can guide the magic to help you, or the magic can guide you in times of uncertainty. Just like the relationship between portal master and Skylander, it requires a certain give and take."**

Taking the hint, the dynamic duo approached the portal and inwardly asked it to show them any encroaching disasters in Skylands. The mist swirled into a coherent image, which then rose from the depths in a three-dimensional, hologram-style picture. It showed a great, spiraling mass of dark air, ripping up and hurling debris on its path of destruction, which lay in the general direction of a small island cluster.

"Great," Matt muttered. "We need Skylanders to help those Mabooks, and we only have two with us."

"_Mabu,"_ Flameslinger said irritably.

"Why don't we split up?" Claire suggested. "You send Ignitor to help and keep an eye on things here while I look for the Skylanders with Flameslinger."

"Sounds like a plan," Matt agreed. "Those Mabooboos are as good as saved!"

"_**MABU!**_" Everyone but Matt roared. Matt staggered back from surprise and looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"…Sorry."

* * *

Later, back in Skylands, a balloon maneuvered through throngs of floating islands and rocky debris to arrive at what was once a peaceful village. Other balloons were leaving en masse, Mabu villagers crowding the docks and clamoring to board.

"Wowsers, look at all these balloons leaving!" Flynn the balloonist marveled. "Parking's gonna be a snap!"

Hugo looked over the edge of the balloon basket and adjusted his glasses worriedly. "They're not just leaving, they're evacuating!" he observed. "Something is terribly wrong!"

"Ah! That explains the flying rocks!" Flynn dimly remarked as he set the balloon down for a gentle landing on a cleared dock next to a windmill. The basket door lowered and Hugo waddled out. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Flynn asked.

The mole-like Mabu rubbed his eyes. "Just go on, Flynn. Get to higher ground!" Hugo instructed. "I'll meet you on the other side of town!"

"Righty-o. Good luck, Hugo," Flynn jovially acknowledged, and lifted off again. Hugo brought out a book and flipped to a certain page before casting around, then made his way over to the windmill island. He scanned the area again nervously and triple-checked his book.

"Master Eon said help would be coming. He said to be right here…" Hugo mumbled to himself. "First, the Core explodes, then I start hearing voices—and _now _I'm in the middle of a village being ripped apart by who-knows-what…Clearly—I am losing my mind."

On Earth, from the big portal, Matt was watching everything and feeling like a stalker. Eon had disappeared, but his voice rang out loud and clear. **"Now is the time, portal master."**

Matt brought out Ignitor from his pocket. _"Whoo…It's chilly out 'ere,"_ the knight commented. _"It's times like this I'm grateful to be a fire spirit."_

"Ready to go?" Matt asked him.

"_A Skylander is always ready to help! Let's go!"_

Matt placed the little figure on the portal, which made a whirring noise and glowed brightly, releasing the Fire element symbol into the air. Then with a blinding flash, Ignitor reappeared full-size again, burning bright and merrily swinging his sword.

"And so it begins!" the knight cried, happy to be back in action. As the knight leapt up and disappeared in a swirl of flames, Matt whirled around to face Claire's house, checking to see if anyone had heard the loud war cry.

"Curse his enthusiasm…" Matt muttered, not meaning it, of course. It occurred to him for the first time that he and Ignitor were very different. Where Matt was calm and only ever got worked up when something important arose, Ignitor was very easily excitable and always raring to go. They had only just met that day, and they already hit it off so well…why? Maybe the same reason he and Claire were so close: they complimented each other, each making up for the other's weaker points. She often spoke for the both of them, because Matt disliked speaking his mind until the circumstances were clear to him, and when Claire got sensitive about something or other, he would step in and help her sort out her feelings.

Speaking of Claire, he realized she and Flameslinger were pretty different, too. Claire was gentle and a bit shy where the elf was cocky and bold. From watching them interact, he figured the elf really helped her break through her comfort zone, only in a different way than Matt did.

_Maybe it has something to do with these portal master bond things,_ Matt thought. _Maybe it makes us more…I dunno…compatible? And what's Ignitor hiding? It must be about Hex. He looked kind of upset earlier…Is he mad at her? She didn't look too happy to see him, either._

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Ignitor land safely in Skylands right next to Hugo. The Mabu cried out in surprise.

"Whoa! Ignitor! You've returned!" Hugo gawked.

The knight burned bright, which Matt had figured out by now meant he was smiling broadly. "In the flames!" the knight greeted.

"That was quick!" Hugo marveled. "Those portal masters must learn quickly!"

"They've still got a lot of practice ahead of them," Ignitor murmured.

"**I heard that!"** Matt called through the portal. Hugo jumped, not used to being spoken to via portal; Eon had normally just knocked on his covered ports.

"Oh! Uh, I know you're watching, great ones! My name is Hugo, and—!"

"**Actually, it's just me, Claire's off looking for the Skylanders. I'm Matt, by the way."**

"Oh, I see! Well, we need your help! You see—"

"**You don't have to yell, I can hear you just fine,"** Matt bit back his annoyance. **"Er, sorry, I'd come down and talk to you in person, but Eon says I can't teleport back and forth without a big portal, and I don't see one down there."**

"Never mind that, Matt," Ignitor cut in before Hugo could waste any more time. "This place is being torn apart! I'm going to go help!"

"**Right..."** Matt made a face. **"Uh…what do I do, exactly?"** It had just occurred to him that, unlike the game, the Skylanders could move around and fight on their own. So, what did that leave for the portal master to do?

"If I take too much damage, you need to extract me and send another Skylander before I collapse," Ignitor explained as he trudged off across the islands with Hugo waddling after him.

"**But there are no other Skylanders!"**

"Then I'll just 'ave to be careful," Ignitor said. "Or perhaps you can ask Mistress Claire to send reinforcements."

"**But calling her might take too long—oh, I get it," **Matt remembered the portal on his wrist, and, belatedly, the fact that he was staring right at one.

"That's right! Contact via portal is very quick!" Ignitor smashed some barrels as he spoke and the spoils within disappeared when he touched them. "If things get nasty, call for help!"

"**Wait, how did you do that?"** Matt asked, watching Ignitor slash through a fence in his way.

"Do what?"

"**That money in those barrels! It disappeared when you touched it."**

"Oh, that. You don't 'ave magic pouches on Earth?"

"**No."**

"Oh. Well, magic pouches store money when you touch it, so warriors, like us Skylanders, can recover dropped spoils 'ands free."

Hugo chimed in. "Trolls and other bad guys tend to store their spoils in things like barrels and then forget about them. The Skylanders can take what they find as their form of reward."

"**Isn't that money stolen from innocent Mabus?"**

"Mabu," Hugo corrected. "And not always, but once the money's been stolen, it's impossible to trace since thieves are so disorganized, and tend to hoard it instead of spending it. Usually, the bank will replace whatever's been stolen, so the money that the Skylanders collect is essentially like paying taxes toward Skylands' defense. Also, it's our only real form of revenue, so nobody minds."

"Oh, well when you put it _that_ way…" Matt muttered sarcastically, careful not to speak into the portal. _This world is so weird…But it doesn't seem as hungry, crime-ridden and poverty-stricken as ours, so I guess whatever works._

Ignitor traversed through the island without much difficulty, Hugo, surprisingly, doing a good job of staying out of the way. A few Mabu stopped panicking to cheer for Ignitor and fill him in on the situation. Matt was careful not to speak so as not to spook the already terrified citizens. He was surprised to hear cheers for him, the 'portal master', as well.

As Ignitor pushed some large turtles around, Matt remembered he could scan the immediate area and make sure the Mabu had all escaped to safety. Then he recalled something.

"Hey…Master Eon? Are you there?" he called.

Almost immediately, the kindly, transparent visage of the former portal master appeared from the big portal. He seemed delighted that he had been called upon, but Matt could wonder about that later. **"Yes, young portal master, any questions I'll be happy to answer."**

_You definitely look happy…_Matt thought with a grin. "I was just wondering: can I warp the…_Mabu_…" he emphasized the correct pronunciation. "…to safety? Maybe bring them here to Earth and send them—"

"**Goodness, no!"** Eon cut off, face full of worry. **"Young one, the Mabu can't handle being teleported like the Skylanders can. The Skylanders are all connected to one of the eight elements that make up portal magic, which is why they can warp without any side effects."**

Matt blew an auburn tuft off of his forehead in annoyance. "I knew it couldn't be that easy…."

"**Believe me, young one,"** Eon replied. **"If it was that easy, there would much less of a need for the Skylanders."**

"Hey, that reminds me!" said Matt, glancing at the portal to check on Ignitor and Hugo. They had just met up with Flynn, having used some bounce pads to scale a cliff. "You said earlier that portal masters from Skylands aren't supposed to use portals on themselves. How come Earth portal masters are different?"

"**It has to do with a portal master's magical capability,"** Eon explained. **"They differ depending on the world you're from."**

"And why is that?" Matt settled down for a long lecture. He figured Master Eon would've made a great grandfather: he certainly had the story time part covered.

"**Everything in Skylands, living or not, is magically connected. When a portal master of Skylands tries to use a portal on his or herself, it disrupts their flow of portal magic, which compromises the connection and makes for a nasty shock. Portal masters of Earth, like you two young ones, are not connected to Skylands, so you suffer no ill effects upon warping yourselves."**

"And here comes the catch," Matt leaned back and placed his arms behind his head, hoping he looked cool. Eon wasn't swayed.

"**Quite right. Also because you lack a connection, you are unable to cast spells."**

Matt bolted back up. "_What_?! Awww…" he whined. "We got cheated out of the cool stuff…"

"**Never fear, young portal master,"** Eon brightened. **"While Kaos does have that advantage, you have special artillery at your disposal. I will go into more detail on that later."**

Matt sat quietly, doing a double-take when he saw Ignitor tumble from the cliff as it crumbled and Flynn fly down with Hugo once the landslide subsided. He was about to call out and ensure Ignitor's safety, but the knight had somehow landed without a scratch and was now charging forward as if nothing had transpired.

_Wow, he can take a hit…but then, he _is_ a walking suit of armor. It's a wonder he takes damage at all._

"As tough as the Skylanders are? I don't think we'll be needing it," he remarked cheekily.

Eon grimaced. **"I would warn against underestimating Kaos and his forces. He may be a bumbling twit with no friends, but as you saw, he knows how to play his cards right, and he's surprisingly tenacious when it comes to getting what he wants.**_** And**_** it's much easier for him now that the Skylanders are divided."**

Matt looked Master Eon in the eyes, remembering that he had looked upon Claire and himself as a living being earlier that day. Now he might as well have been talking to a ghost. _Kaos has done enough damage to convince me that he's a threat, no matter how childish he acts._ Matt thought, bringing to mind the Joker from Batman.

"Yeah, well, he's in for a shock once we get the Skylanders back together," Matt said determinedly. "I mean, the bad guys never win, right?"

"**Sir Matthew!"**

Ignitor's urgent cry blasted through the portal and nearly sent Matt stumbling backwards. Matt peered into the portal and was taken aback at the scene unfolding within.

In a wide open section of town, the Mabu had already evacuated, but out of nowhere, several trolls, Drow and Chompies had warped in and surrounded the hapless fire knight, who whipped around frantically in hopes of finding an escape route. He was flanked on all sides by about thirty plus enemies total, the Chompies gnashing their teeth and sporting metal helmets, the Drow wielding wicked lances and the trolls swinging around large wrenches and wolverine claws. All cried out threateningly in their own native tongues, the Chompies squealing and howling like dogs.

"That doesn't happen in the game!" Matt cried. Just then, an annoyingly familiar laugh echoed through the howling winds, only this time without the voice filter used with the "giant floating head" routine. Matt looked around for Eon, but the spirit had disappeared again.

"**AH HA HA HAHAHA!"** Kaos cackled, and Ignitor glared up at the sky, knowing Kaos would see his enraged fiery form that way. **"Well, well, if it isn't a Skylander back from his exile already! Those humans must be better than I thought…" **Kaos muttered, not realizing everyone could still hear him. **"Er, ahem! I know you're listening, phony Earth portal masters! Just go ahead and give up now, so you don't have to suffer the embarrassment of losing hopelessly outnumbered!"**

"**Kaos!" **Matt shouted angrily. **"You coward! Ambushing a Skylander in the middle of a crisis! How low can you get?!"**

"**Uh, **_**helloooooo?**_**" **Kaos patronized. **"I'm **_**evil?**_** And here I was giving you credit for at least bouncing back quickly!"**

"**Yeah, I heard."**

"**Heh?!" **Kaos sputtered.** "No, you didn't—Er, I mean, MINIONS! Destroy the Skylander!"**

With fierce war cries, the assembled creatures advanced on Ignitor, the Chompies taking the lead and lunging at the knight's legs, hideously long teeth bared. Ignitor swept his sword in an arc around him, but only managed to knock away a few of them, leaving his rear side wide open to jabs from the Drow spearmen. The screeching clang of metal on metal rang out, and the knight buckled.

"Augh!" Ignitor cried out in pain. Matt felt a vibrating jolt wash through him and gasped. It wasn't exactly painful, but he got a distant sense of what Ignitor was feeling, and he suddenly felt a headache coming on. _So we really _can_ feel each other's pain!_ Matt thought, bewildered.

The knight whirled around and lifted his sword above his head, the blade lengthening to enormous proportions, and then slammed it down forcefully on the offending Drow, wiping out a few in the process. He wasted no time in stiffening up and launching his flame mortar through the throngs of his enemies. While the tactic proved fairly effective, it once again left him wide open as several trolls pounced on his armor.

The fire spirit gasped and rushed back into his suit, falling to his knees and burning low. Matt's mini portal started to pulse red, and more shockwaves of numbed pain assaulted his body. _No way!_ Matt seethed. _Ignitor's armor still takes damage when he's not in it?! That's not fair!_

"**Ignitor!" **Matt cried worriedly.

Ignitor tried to rise and lift his sword to attack, but the weapon was knocked out of his armored hand by a troll's wrench, and he was forced back down.

Matt had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that the brave knight he had met back in the crypt, who had taken down a small zombie hoard _by himself_, had been brought to his knees so easily. Granted he was seriously outnumbered, but the Skylanders were used to such odds.

"**Ignitor! Are you alright?!"**

The minions held the groaning knight at bay, but he managed to respond. "I…I didn't used to be so weak…" he murmured. Matt felt his shame as a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and he paled.

_Did…did the Core exploding…somehow weaken him?_

As if reading his thoughts, Kaos cackled. **"Oh-ho-ho, it seems the once-mighty Skylanders have been weakened by their little trip through space! This just gets better and better!"**

"**There's an emergency down there!" **Matt tried to bargain with Kaos.** "Mabu might die if we don't help them! Get out of the way so we can clean up **_**your**_** mess!"**

"**Oh, please,"** Kaos mocked. **"Who cares about a few useless Mabu? Pfft, I sure don't! They can't even fight!"**

"Maybe not," Hugo's voice rang out.

Everyone looked up to find Flynn's balloon floating onto the scene, struggling against the winds. Flynn and Hugo glared defiantly toward the sky from the balloon basket. "But we _can _call for help!" the mole-like Mabu pointed at the sky.

Right on cue, a blue and white blur crashed down onto the scene, the sudden gale throwing the assailants off of Ignitor. Standing there proudly was a white bird creature, decked out in blue armor with a belt emblazoned with the Air element symbol and holding an impressive vacuum gun. The barrel was attached by a hose to a jet-pack on his back, which interestingly seemed to lack wings.

The bird smirked with his golden, curved beak and took aim at the scrambling monsters. "Get ready for hawk and awe!" he boasted heartily with a distinct Australian accent. He launched a rapid volley of pressurized gusts of air at his adversaries, effectively knocking out several of them as well as pushing back the stronger ones.

"**What?!"** Kaos screeched. **"No fair! Do over!"**

Once the newcomer had put a fair distance between the two sides, he offered a talon to Ignitor, who gratefully took it. "Good thing I got the call when I did," the bird remarked. "Here: I brought this with me in case things got too rough, but you need it now."

He held out a large sandwich, and Ignitor hastily stuffed it through his armor gap. His flames surged back up to his healthy radiance and the red pulses in Matt's portal ceased abruptly. The knight picked up his sword and faced his savior with renewed vigor.

"I can't thank you enough, Sky Baron," Ignitor said sincerely.

"The name's Jet-Vac, mate," the avian introduced. "And think nothing of it."

Ignitor sparked. "Ah, so you're one of the new recruits!" the knight exclaimed holding out a hand to shake.

Jet-Vac looked down at his hand warily. "Erm, that's right! I wasn't supposed to go on active duty for a few more days, but Master Eon summoned me, and those two up there intercepted my flight path to lead me here…That won't burn me, will it?"

Ignitor laughed. "Ha, no! I'm Ignitor, by the way." He grasped his new ally's talon and shook it to demonstrate.

Matt had finally recovered from the strange, yet welcome turn of events. **"Wait…"** he said, making Jet-Vac jump. **"You're a Skylander?"**

Jet-Vac arched a feathery eyebrow at Ignitor, who nodded reassuringly and gestured toward the sky. "Uh, yes! I take it you're one of the new portal masters Eon told me about?"

"**Yep. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Matthew."**

"A pleasure," said Jet-Vac, still not quite at ease with speaking to the sky.

Kaos had busied himself with screaming at his minions. **"YOU FOOLS! Don't let them get the upper hand! ATTACK!"**

The enemy horde finally picked itself up and charged at the Skylanders, who readied themselves for the coming onslaught.

"Ready for round two, mate?" Jet-Vac asked Ignitor. The knight flared up, eager to make up for his past weakness.

"Now that you're 'ere to cover me, I'm more than ready. Tallyho!" Ignitor launched another flame mortar into the encroaching masses, leaving Jet-Vac a bit stupefied.

"Wait, what?" The Sky Baron glanced down at the lifeless heap of armor, then turned his hawkish gaze upward. "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

Matt realized Jet-Vac didn't understand Ignitor's situation. **"He means protect his armor! He'll get hurt if his armor takes damage!" **Matt hastily explained.

Jet-Vac looked back at the foes that'd made it past Ignitor's inferno and leveled his gun at them. "…Doesn't really make much sense, but okay!"

The Sky Baron fired off more air shots, and once the trolls and Drow were taken care of, he noticed a few Chompies making a beeline for the armor.

"Oh no, you don't!" He flipped the function on his vacuum and pulled the Chompies toward him instead. The little biters got caught in the barrel, and squirmed uselessly as the fan blades battered them to oblivion (…sounds pretty gruesome, actually).

Ignitor returned to his armor and charged the remaining combatants. He was doing much better this time, but failed to notice a Drow silently sneaking up on him.

"**Ignitor! Behind you!"** Matt called a warning.

Ignitor spun and slashed the Drow into smithereens, careful to run forward a few steps to avoid an assault from the enemies he'd left behind him, which, as he predicted, gave chase. Once he gained enough distance he did an about face and bashed his pursuers with a Mega Slam, who cried out in dismay. His work done, he rejoined Jet-Vac at the town's center square.

The two warriors surveyed the area, now clear of enemies and full of bouncing EXP orbs, which flew into them.

"**Great work, you two!"** Matt congratulated. **"Sorry I couldn't do much…"**

"**NO!"** Kaos cried. **"How is that possible?! One of you is weakened and the other is a noob! How could you have defeated my minions?!"**

"Oh, lay off, ya bugger!" Jet-Vac shouted, hefting his gun onto his shoulder. "And Matthew's wrong. He was an enormous help."

"I concur," Ignitor agreed, tilting his 'face' skyward. "You're getting the hang of this, Sir Matthew!"

Matthew frowned, remembering something. **"Not really…I mean, I forgot to call for help when things got bad even after Ignitor told me to."**

"Everyone makes mistakes, Matt," Ignitor replied patiently, sensing Matt's disappointment. "Even Master Eon had his fair share. Just don't beat yourself up about it and I'll forgive you."

Matt smiled at his friend's understanding, realizing he probably would have told Ignitor the same thing had the knight been in his position. _I wonder how Claire's doing,_ he thought, scowling again. _She wouldn't forgive herself so easily…hopefully, Flameslinger can help her through these kinds of problems if I can't._

Kaos was ready to lose it.** "Fools! I have more minions where that came from!"** he threatened.

The two Skylanders fell back into their fighting stances, ready for another attack, while Matthew did a wide scope of the area.

Nothing happened.

The Skylanders and Earth portal master relaxed. Matt decided to speak up. **"…Well?"**

"…**Glumshanks!"** Back at Kaos's fortress portal, the villain rounded on his butler troll, who shrank back more out of reflex than fear. "Where are the back-up minions?!"

"Uh, sir? You didn't think you'd need back-up minions, so…there aren't any," Glumshanks explained bluntly.

"Ugh!" Kaos face palmed. "Then what are you doing just standing there?! GO GATHER MORE MINIONS!"

"But, sir!" Glumshanks protested. "By the time they're ready, the island will already be destroyed!"

Kaos turned away in huff. "Useless!" He returned to his portal. **"Enjoy your oh-so-MINOR victory while you can, Sky**_**losers**_**!" **he crowed. **"But rest assured, you will **_**never**_** rebuild the Core of Light in time to stop my Darkness! In fact, you'll never rebuild it AT ALL!"**

Kaos shut off the connection, and Jet-Vac sighed in relief. "Thank the portals…I was starting to get a headache."

Flynn and Hugo, who had been hovering a safe distance away, touched down by the Skylanders, looking highly pleased. "Great work giving that little creep's cronies a thrashing," Flynn saluted them. "But we still got trouble down the line."

"The Mabu royal family is trapped in the palace!" Hugo explained as he lowered the basket door for the Skylanders to step inside. "You need to clear a path for them to escape to safety while Flynn and I make sure everyone else escaped."

"**I can help with that!"** Matt volunteered.

The island continued to break apart and get swept away in the strengthening hurricane winds, but that didn't deter the brave party in their mission. The royal Mabu family were grateful to be rescued, but were so desperate to escape, they hardly uttered a word of thanks as they bolted for the balloons as fast as their stubby legs could carry them.

Matt, Flynn and Hugo did one more thorough sweep of what was left of the island, and once they were satisfied, the Skylanders boarded the basket once more and the craft lifted off and away from the scene of destruction.

Just as they breached a safer air zone, the vortex finally devoured the shattered island completely, gathering up the huge hunks of rock and demolished remnants of the village and spiraling off into the distance with them.

"Well, that could've been a lot worse," Ignitor remarked.

"But, of course, it wasn't," Flynn smirked. "And only because the greatest pilot in all of Skylands was there to save the day. BOOM!"

Jet-Vac looked at Hugo and Ignitor quizzically. "Is he always like this?"

Hugo and Ignitor nodded wordlessly.

Matt sighed and leaned back, noticing how numb his rear had become from sitting in the snow. **"Just so you guys know,"** he said. **"Kaos's attack wasn't in the game. If I remember right, it was actually just a few Chompies you had to care of. Everything else was about the same."**

"Back up," said Jet-Vac. "What's this about a game?"

Ignitor placed a hand on the Sky Baron's shoulder. "We'll catch you up to speed later."

"For now," said Hugo, pulling his book back out. "We need to get back to The Ruins to start making renovations."

"**The Ruins?"** Matt echoed.

"Eon's island. Or what's left of it, anyway."

"**Oh. Does the portal still work?"**

"You probably didn't see them, but there were actually several portals all over the island. Most of them disappeared, but one of them's still intact," Hugo reported.

"**That's good, I guess. When you get there, I'll warp up there to see you in person. In the meantime, I'll call Claire to see how she's doing."**

"Sounds like a plan," Ignitor approved. "See you soon!"

"**Later!"**

Matt stood up stiffly and rubbed some warmth back into his legs and behind. When he stepped back from the portal, its light dimmed significantly, and Matt suddenly felt as if he were…unplugged. He hadn't noticed, but the big portal had recharged him as he used it, and now he could definitely feel that he had been cut off from its magic.

"I guess that's how I know it's shut off," he mused, then groaned from the cold ache in his muscles. "Playing in the snow will have to wait…" He looked down at his mini portal. "Better call Claire."

KA-FLASH!

Matt whirled back toward the portal, which had suddenly lit up again. It was humming back to life and glowing brighter.

Matt watched silently, thinking maybe Eon had activated it and wished to show him something.

It flashed again, and this time, a figure leapt off the surface and landed in the snow in front of him. Matt gaped, his heart sinking at the sight of the slim, long-eared form advancing on him.

"_What?!_ How?!" was all he could manage before the Drow lancer seized him.

* * *

Claire waded through the snow toward the white, sparkling pasture that spanned between her grandparents' barn and their house. The vast acreage stretched about a mile in length and half a mile in width, and small ponds dotted the place between trees and hills.

Claire tried not to spend too much time drinking in the sheer winter beauty that was so rare in Texas, and trekked across the barn's front side, past the horse stalls where the horses stood indifferently.

"Looks like Kendall's not here…" Claire muttered, noting the lack of a Volkswagen in the driveway.

"_Kendall?"_ Flameslinger questioned. Claire brought him out from her cozy coat pocket so he could look at the barn.

"Yeah, she lives in the house on top of the barn. She rents it from my grandparents, and actually owns all of the animals here."

"_Huh. Nice view,"_ he said, looking a bit involuntarily at the balcony, which overlooked the large pond.

"**Young ones! Come this way!"**

Master Eon's floating head hovered out of Claire's mini portal and beckoned them over to the side of the barn, hidden by a hill and the tree line so no one would see them. When Claire joined him, Eon wore a determined expression.

"**I think now is a good time to begin instructing you in the more difficult segment of portal magic: bringing the Skylanders to life. In other words, using your magic to make them mobile again here on Earth."**

"I can do that?!" Claire gawked. Eon smiled but didn't waver in his sternness.

"**Indeed, but like I said, it's difficult, for it requires a large amount of portal magic, something you lack since you're just beginning. You'd best get the hang of it now while you have light magic to spare. I'll go and teach your friend later."**

Claire looked down and Flameslinger, then back at Eon expectantly, who chuckled.

"**Well, don't you look ready? Alright, let's begin. The reason the Skylanders are immobile here is because they are cut off from the magic of Skylands. Step one: place your Skylander on your mini portal."**

Claire placed the frozen elf on the portal, which reacted by glowing brighter.

"**Good. Now, from here you can do two things: send him to Skylands, which I don't recommend, since you don't have a clear idea of where you would be sending him…or you can bring him to life. By placing him on the portal, you've reestablished his connection with Skylands, as indicated by the glow. Now it's up to you to imbue him with enough portal magic to become mobile again. Be warned: this will tap into your magic supply directly, and drain slowly over time, so you can't have too many Skylanders active right now. That's what makes it so difficult. Just as before, allow the magic to guide you to accomplish your goal."**

Claire took all of his information in, and then looked uncertainly at Flameslinger. _"Go ahead,"_ he urged. _"I'm ready any time."_

The young portal master nodded, and then shut her eyes, finding it easier to concentrate that way. She realized that the mini portal already felt natural, akin to an extra brain. It guided her portal magic into the figure sitting on top of it, and she did indeed feel as if her energy was being drained.

The elf's frozen form glowed brightly with a humming sound, and then flashed abruptly.

KA-FLASH!

"Whoa!"

"Oof!"

With a thud, Claire tumbled to the slushy ground for the second time that day, sent sprawling face-down by the sudden weight of a full-size elf falling on top of her.

"Ooohhh," Claire groaned. "I'm getting really sick of this…"

"Urrgh…" Flameslinger grumbled. "…Hey! I can talk again!" He got up stiffly and stretched. "Ahh, it's nice to move again."

"You're welcome," Claire murmured into the snow. The elf helped her up, and Claire realized just how surreal it was to be seeing him in person now that they were back on her world. In Skylands, he blended in with the rest of the cartoony absurdities, but here, it was as if he had stepped out of the video game, rather than Claire stepping into it. Not that he looked CGI: his appearance was real enough, just out of place.

Flameslinger 'looked' himself over, just to make sure there was nothing toy-like about him.

"Feel alright?" Claire asked him. He nodded with a thumbs-up. Eon's head looked thoughtful.

"**Hmmm…to keep you from getting crushed, I suggest you practice warping the Skylanders a safe distance away from you as you bring them to life," **Eon advised.

Claire groaned. "I'm bad enough at warping as it is…"

"Don't worry," Flameslinger encouraged, smiling. "I'll help you practice."

"Thanks," she said. "In the meantime, let's look for Whirlwind. I'm pretty sure she landed by the pond."

"**Just call for me if you need anything, young ones,"** Eon said kindly. **"But for now, I need to rest."**

"Go on, Master Eon," Flameslinger said. "You deserve it."

With that, Eon disappeared, and the duo trudged over the hill toward the pond. It was iced over and snowed on, now a solid platform large enough to fit a mobile home. A few sparse trees flanked the far side by the fence, and a few of the horses stood underneath them for no apparent reason.

"Whirlwind!" Claire called.

"Where are you, Stormee?" Flameslinger shouted. Claire cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Stormee?" she parroted.

"That's her nickname," Flameslinger smirked. "You haven't seen it yet, but she has a really nasty temper when you get on her bad side. When she gets upset, she whips up storm clouds, so the name fits."

"_H-hey! I'm over here!_" a familiar, feminine voice cried out. Claire and Flameslinger cast around, but didn't see anything that stuck out apart from the horses.

"We can't see you!" Flameslinger called. "You blend right into the snow!"

"_I know, but I'm lying face-down and I can't move!_" the dragoness replied unhappily. _"I have no idea what's around me!"_

"Don't worry; I'll use my portal to find you!" Claire reassured her. She placed a gloved hand on her portal and closed her eyes, her portal sense kicking in naturally._ I wonder if warping is this easy for Matt, _she wondered enviously.

She acquired Whirlwind's location in her mind's sight and opened her eyes. "She's by the horses."

The girl led Flameslinger around the pond and searched the snow-covered ground. Claire was interested to find the horses perfectly comfortable around Flameslinger; they even let him pet them.

"Pretty horses these are," the Skylander said, stroking a spotted equine's muzzle. "Do they belong to Kendall?"

"Yep," Claire affirmed, checking around the horses' hooves for signs of Whirlwind. "That one's Cricket. I'm surprised you don't spook'em, I mean, they've never seen anyone like you before."

"Elves all share a deep connection with nature, even the evil Drow," Flameslinger explained. "That's why animals are comfortable around us."

"_Claire? Flameslinger_?" Whirlwind called again. "_Can you see me_?"

Claire took a few steps toward a tree. "There you are!" she cried triumphantly, snatching up the tiny figure from the base of the trunk. Toy Whirlwind stood with all four paws planted firmly on a frozen swirl of clouds. While not totally white, it was difficult to see her even now against the snowy backdrop.

"_Thank goodness!"_ Whirlwind said, relieved. _"I was afraid no one would ever find me!"_

"I'm just glad the horses didn't step on you," Claire said. "Now let's bring you back to life."

"You say that like she's dead," Flameslinger muttered darkly.

Claire put the Skylander on her portal, making it glow, and staggered a bit as her magic was drained further. At the last second, Claire remembered to warp her a little ways away, and with a bright flash, the toy disappeared.

Flameslinger looked around. "Where did she go?"

Claire searched her surroundings frantically, her heart sinking. "I…I just tried to warp her away, I didn't have time to think about where…"

CLUNK!

_SCREEEECH!_

A loud squealing of tires and spraying of gravel sounded by the barn house. Claire and Flameslinger's heads whipped around to face the driveway.

A blue Volkswagen bug had jerked to a halt, with a disoriented, but unharmed blue dragoness having landed on its roof and slid down to the hood.

The driver appeared more than a little terrified.

Flameslinger's ears drooped. "Oh, Chompy poo."

As Whirlwind struggled to flap her wings and take off away from Kendall's line of sight, Claire and Flameslinger rushed over to...do something.

…_Wait. What are we doing?!_

"Uh, crap!" Claire halted in her tracks, Flameslinger doing the same, having caught on to their dilemma at the same moment she did. "We can't let her see you, too!" she cried frantically. "How do I shrink you back?!"

Flameslinger threw up his hands. "How am I supposed to know?!" he exclaimed helplessly.

Claire glanced around, and then pushed Flameslinger down into the snow face-first.

"Hey!" he cried, not expecting Claire to get so rough.

"Shh! Consider us even," she hissed, trying to stand in front of Flameslinger to conceal him.

"At least you weren't frozen!" Flameslinger fumed.

"Claire?"

The duo froze and slowly turned to see Kendall crunching through the snow toward them, wearing a look of confusion. The middle-aged woman seemed to have gotten over her fright quickly.

"Do you…mind explaining a few things, sweetie?" Kendall asked tentatively, her country twang resounding clearly. "Like, why there's a huge bird sitting on my roof?" She was staring intently at Flameslinger, who smiled sheepishly (Earth sheep: "Baaaah!") and waved from the ground. "And why your friend is green?"

Claire looked up at Whirlwind, who was perched on the barn roof shaking her head helplessly. The portal master sighed, her breath steaming and swirling upward.

"Sure…maybe we should go inside."

* * *

"…And that's what brings us here."

Claire had just finished explaining their situation to Kendall. Whirlwind had fluttered down from the roof and Claire had helped a huffy Flameslinger up from the snow. Kendall led them into her modest abode in a bit of a daze, but that didn't stop her from making some post-Christmas hot cocoa.

Flameslinger and Whirlwind gingerly sipped at their mugs while Claire simply held hers for the warmth, and Kendall's remained untouched. The portal master and Skylanders sat together on the couch with Kendall facing them from her chair across the coffee table.

Claire had a hard time getting used to the fact that magical warriors from another world were sitting next to her on a couch in an otherwise perfectly normal country home, but Kendall was taking it better than she thought she would. Claire did notice her pinch herself, however, and scarcely made eye contact with the Skylanders (it was kind of impossible with Flameslinger anyway), although she did stare at them, particularly Whirlwind.

"Thank you for the cocoa," Flameslinger spoke up for the first time. He and Whirlwind had been doing their best to keep from startling their host, for which Claire was grateful.

"Yes, many thanks!" Whirlwind chirped. Kendall allowed herself a smile.

"Oh, it's no problem," she assured them. She laughed nervously. "I'm just…not believing this is happening…"

"I thought I was dreaming for a while," Claire admitted. "But then I woke up with this on my wrist." She held up her faintly glowing mini portal. "…And _him_ in my hand as a toy." She jabbed her thumb at the elf sitting next to her, who shrugged.

Kendall looked down into her mug, her chestnut hair framing her round face. She finally took a sip of her cocoa. One of her cats, a sleek black tom, strolled into the room and made himself known, completely nonplussed by the odd visitors. Kendall loved animals, and in addition to cats and horses, she also owned several dogs, goats, chickens and miniature horses. She stroked the cat (whom Claire remembered as Alester) absently. "…You said these…Skylanders…are scattered everywhere, right? Like, all over the world?"

"That's right."

"Then how are you going to find them all?"

Flameslinger put down his mug and scooped up the purring cat. "We'll use the portals. Claire's already good at finding the Skylanders with hers, and Matt can take care of the teleporting."

"Heh, heh, yeah," Whirlwind giggled. "Sorry, Claire, but you're gonna have to practice some more before I trust you with warping me all over the planet! Next time, I'd rather not end up on the roof of a car!"

Claire blushed and distracted herself by petting Alester, thankful that neither Whirlwind nor Kendall's car had been hurt. "Yeah…sorry about that…"

Kendall gradually became more comfortable from watching the group's interactions. Whether she was dreaming or not, she supposed she would eventually find out. She suddenly frowned. "Wait, Claire…if you're supposed to be helping these people, what about school?"

The portal master and her friends looked at each other worriedly. "I…hadn't thought about it, actually," Claire confessed. "What _are_ we gonna do once school starts again?"

"We can cross that bridge once we get to it," Flameslinger suggested. "As long as no one else finds out about us, I'll think we'll be alright."

"You're secret's safe with me!" Kendall said quickly. "Besides, even if other people see you, they'll react to you the same way I am."

"Hey, that's true!" Claire said excitedly. "Or they just won't care, because people are weird nowadays!"

Kendall laughed some more, finally at ease with the strange situation. "Just remember, Claire," she encouraged. "If you ever need help, you can always come to me. I don't think your parents would approve of all this. Heck, I'm not sure _I_ approve." She settled back into her chair, appearing thoughtful. "Videogame or not, what you're doing sounds like a big responsibility…and dangerous. And you're just a kid, after all. Do you think you can handle it?"

It occurred to Claire that she and Matt were probably a lot younger than most of the Skylanders…and yet they were in the leading position because of the magic they wielded, even despite their inexperience. It hadn't seemed that strange in the game.

She sighed. "I don't really have a choice…if there are other portal masters out there, we don't know how to find them. Oh, man…" she groaned. "What _would_ my parents say? What if they find out and don't let me? What if it turns out we can't—"

"It's _your_ choice," Kendall exerted. "Not your parents', and not…these guys'…no offense…" she glanced at the warriors awkwardly, then refocused on Claire, eyes softening a bit. "This is what growing up is all about, sweetie. This is your deal, and no one else's. As much as they might disagree with me, it's not up to your parents to decide your future for you."

Claire looked down. _The future…I hadn't even thought about that…how long are we supposed to help the Skylanders?_

She looked at Flameslinger, who 'stared' at her firmly. "I stand by what I said earlier," he told her. "Portal masters don't have to use their powers. It's up to you."

"And while we don't want to be left hanging," Whirlwind chimed in. "We don't want you second-guessing yourself, either."

"Mraaah!" Alester meowed loudly, and everyone laughed.

"**CLAIRE!"**

Everyone jumped at Matt's voice booming through Claire's mini portal, Alester leaping three feet in the air before bolting away. Claire held up her wrist. "Matt?"

"**I need your help…right now! And bring your Skylanders!"**

"Wh-Why?!" Claire started to panic. "What's happening?!"

A three-dimensional image rose out of the portal, displaying a troubling scene. Matt was surrounded by Drow, mostly lancers, witches and one large Goliath. They were still in Claire's backyard, the offenders all keeping their weapons trained on Matt, slowly forcing him back to the big portal, as if they wanted to take him back to Skylands, which was probably the case.

Flameslinger stood up. "Drow?! Here?! Why are they mobile?"

Whirlwind flexed her wings. "We need to go right now!" she exclaimed.

Claire hadn't gotten over her initial shock, but thankfully her 'crisis drive' kicked in just then. She grabbed her Skylanders' hands/paws and focused on reaching Matt as quickly as possible.

_Fwash!_

Then, with a bright flash, they were gone.

Kendall blinked, and Alester poked his head back into the living room. As the cat investigated the spots on the couch the guests had previously occupied, Kendall quietly sipped her cocoa.

"…She'll be fine."

* * *

**I forgot to mention last chapter because I was in a hurry to post: HadesNecromancer is now my post editor! Props to him for his creativity and mad editing skillz!**

**FINALLY ACTION AAAUUUGHH I'VE WAITED SO LOOOONG!**

**God, I love Ignitor…I think I actually like him more than Flameslinger, now. Never thought I'd say that!**

**Hey, Jet-Vac's here, with a vengeance and his proper Australian accent! Seriously, why aren't the commercials consistent with the games when it comes to the voices? (Actually, I think the newer commercials are consistent.)  
**

**It's interesting to say the least, writing Kaos in a position of power. And yet it feels…liberating. Like I'm breaking the mold…and it feels awesome! I only hope the readers feel the same way.**

**Hmm, Matt's worried about future problems for Claire. Make of that what you will, my lips are sealed (but I'm typing, not talking, so…my…fingers are bound, I guess?)**

**Whuh-oh, Drow on Earth? Not as tiny statues? Matt's in trouble…**

**Don't forget to check out my profile for more details on this story, including character bios for Matt and Claire.  
**

**So, I bet you're wondering why Kaos didn't have his giant floating head thing going on.**

…**Well, that's owl for today! Good night, everybody!**


	7. Chapter 7: Dangerous Ground

Chapter 7 – Dangerous Ground

In the foreboding fortress, Glumshanks watched as Kaos paced along the edge of his huge portal. The evil portal master would steal a glance to see what was happening on the other side and then chuckle with a sinister gleam in his bulging eyes.

"Oh, you poor fool!" Kaos jeered, taking delight in the human boy's predicament. That apprentice portal master was being forced back toward the Earth portal at the blade points of his minions. "I can use the portals on Earth just as well as you can!" He paused with a scowl. "No, wait, scratch that—even _better_ than you can! In fact, a THOUSAND TIMES BETTER! HA HA HAHAHAHAHA!"

Glumshanks suppressed a sigh. Master Kaos was his only friend, albeit one who ordered him around and gave him constant tongue-lashings. Nevertheless, he constantly worried about the portal master's attitude.

Having grown up together with Glumshanks taking care of him, the troll knew that he was raised poorly: Kaos had been the runt of the litter, the ugly duckling in an otherwise perfect royal family. His father constantly bagged on him, and once the young Kaos had discovered himself to be a portal master, he was afraid to stick around for fear that his mother, who hated portal masters and often blamed them for the world's problems, would find out.

Glumshanks didn't blame Kaos at all for kicking his father in the widdershins and giving up his royal title. Of course, Glumshanks himself never would have had the nerve to—trolls were usually very warlike, but Glumshanks, being smarter than the average troll, preferred subservience. It was just safer that way, even if he served the most obnoxious wannabe conqueror in Skylands.

Still, Kaos's sensitivity about his looks and distinct lack of charm made for an overconfident façade, and Glumshanks knew that it was unhealthy for his ego. The more Kaos pretended to believe that his outlandish plans would work, the bigger his head seemed to swell.

And of course, while blowing up the Core of Light had indeed worked, Glumshanks knew it couldn't be long before the master plan blew up in their faces, even with the weapon of mass destruction on their side. Glumshanks would speak up to voice his concerns, if only to remind Kaos that what they were doing was pointless no matter how good things seemed to be looking for them. Kaos seldom listened, of course.

"And, being the powerful portal master that I am," Kaos continued. "I have more than enough portal magic to keep my minions active on Earth!"

"Uh, I thought your portal keeps your magic full while you're using it," Glumshanks spoke up.

Kaos's face fell, but he was in too good a mood to let his glum sidekick get him down. He put his arm around Glumshanks's shoulder and beamed at him, doing nothing of course to improve his demeanor. "Oh, naïve Glumshanks," he patronized. "It's much more complicated than that. But I can't expect your diabolically primitive troll mind to grasp it."

Glumshanks rolled his eyes.

"And as for you, human!" Kaos spat, looking back at the portal. "I think it's time you learned not to get a big head just because you can warp with that infernal mini portal!" He grinned nastily. "And let's see how high and mighty you feel once my minions bring you back…so that I can drain your portal magic! HA HA HAHAHAHAHA!"

Kaos faced away from the portal and starting tinkering with a projector-like machine sitting nearby. "In the meantime, let's get to fixing the hologram projector," he muttered. "Stupid explosion, breaking my giant floating head…"

Glumshanks peered into the portal. The boy was remaining steadfast with a determined air, not letting his opponents overwhelm him. He looked like he was talking through his mini portal, refusing to give ground. Glumshanks deduced that he was calling for help from his female companion, and found himself rooting for this brave kid, hoping his friend could reach him in time.

The troll glanced up at his master, disheartened by the cunning grin splitting his face. _Good thing I know when to keep my mouth shut._

Just because he cared about Master Kaos didn't mean he had to approve of his actions. He knew what he was doing wasn't right, but as long as the good guys like the Skylanders and that brave boy stuck around to right his master's wrongdoings, maybe Kaos would eventually learn from his mistakes.

Glumshanks certainly hoped so, anyway.

* * *

At Kendall's barn, the snow seemed to muffle all noise: the animals were quieted, the trees stock-still.

_Fwash!_

That changed when Claire, Flameslinger and Whirlwind appeared in a flash on the driveway. The Skylanders looked around and their faces immediately fell when they saw how far they had warped.

"We only went from the house to the driveway?" Flameslinger complained. Whirlwind shot him a glare and looked sympathetically at her portal master.

"Looks like you still need practice before you get the hang of warping," she said to Claire.

Claire said nothing. She felt as if she had just taken a difficult test after running two miles without rest, sans the aching muscles. Her limbs were weak and her head spun. Without warning, she buckled and fell to the ground on her knees.

"Claire!" The Skylanders knelt by her side.

"You used too much magic, didn't you?" Flameslinger observed. "Keeping us active is what's draining you so much."

Claire was still dizzy, but managed to respond. "I'm fine…" she hoisted herself up shakily and put a hand to her portal, which fizzled pathetically. "But I can't teleport…"

Flameslinger grabbed her wrist. "Then we'll have to foot it. Come on, we need to get you to the big portal before you run out of magic!"

The elf took off at a brisk pace, dragging the disoriented Claire along behind. She struggled to keep up and tripped frequently, but Flameslinger's assistance kept her going.

"I can fly her there, you know!" Whirlwind offered, flapping quickly to keep up.

"Sorry, Stormee," Flameslinger called over his shoulder. "But I'm faster on foot than you are in the air."

They were about halfway there when the Skylanders' bodies started to spark. Flameslinger looked down at himself and growled in frustration. "I think that means we're about to shrink back. Come on!"

Claire stepped up her pace at the risk of making her head pound. She could tell that her portal was digging deep into her magic reserves to keep the Skylanders animated, and it was putting physical stress on her body. It was all she could do to think of how much Matt needed her and allow Flameslinger to pull her along.

_We're coming, Matt! Hold on!_

* * *

The Drow lancers jabbed their weapons toward Matt, clearly holding back as they didn't come close to impaling him when he was easily within stabbing range. Matt stumbled backward into the snow, holding his hands up to shield himself out of reflex.

Matt scrambled to his feet and stared down his opposition, his mind blown by the fact they were on Earth and moving about freely RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. They all glared at him as they slowly advanced, the one Goliath laughing darkly.

"Okay, seriously, how are you guys moving around? Is Kaos doing this?" he demanded, even though he already knew the answer. The only response he received from the Drow was a witch's blade flying at him and grazing his maroon hoodie.

Not knowing what else to do, Matt powered up his mini portal and held it out in front of him. The adrenaline pumping through his veins helped speed up his mental faculties: his options whizzed through his head like bullets of concentrated brainpower. Maybe he could warp them away…no, there were too many. Charged or not, he wasn't strong enough yet to warp that many creatures.

So, then, he'd warp himself away? He'd have to warp a safe distance…But how far could he warp? _Can't second guess myself now!_

He closed his eyes and his portal flashed, engulfing him and making him disappear. The Drow weren't stupid, however, and listened for the portal flash that signaled his reappearance.

_Fwash!_

Matt might've been fair at warping for a beginner, but he'd just been trying to get as far away as possible. So he didn't expect to land on Claire's roof of all places.

"Oh mah God!" he blurted as his feet slipped, and he struggled to get a handhold. Luckily for him, Claire's house was two-story, and he landed right next to the second-story section of roof that was raised up off his own platform. He clung onto the gutter and steadied himself, his feet threatening to slip out from under him down the icy slope.

The Drow turned toward the racket he raised and advanced as a group toward Claire's house, and, by extension, Matt.

"Not good…" Matt muttered. _Can't call Ignitor and Jet-Vac…they're still tired from their own fight, and these odds are worse if anything!_

The witches started to fly the grounded lancers up to the roof, the Goliath serving as a ladder for those without a lift. If they had been trolls, they would have slid right off, but the Drow were disciplined and sure-footed.

"Come on, Claire…" he begged, cursing his skewed portal sense. He couldn't tell if she was heading toward him or not.

The lancers and witches had him surrounded again, weapons leveled at him. It was apparent they didn't want him hurt; otherwise he would've been skewered by now. They shouted and gestured toward the portal back on ground, expecting to lead him to it.

_Swish! Thock, thock, thock-thock-thock!_

Several Drow suddenly cried out as fiery arrows struck them in the back, making several of them stumble off the roof. The horde turned in time to pale at the sight of several more volleys raining down on them, pelting them with lethal accuracy. (But I set fiiiiiiirrre, to the raaaiiiin…Is anybody else reminded of that song? No? Well, you are now.)

Matt stood relieved, thankful that Flameslinger's aim was as good as he claimed, for none of the arrows even came close to him. It was interesting to watch the Drow take damage without bleeding and becoming horribly disfigured: the arrows disappeared after they hit their marks.

Matt hadn't yet been informed of Skylands physics, but if he had, he would have (correctly) deduced that they were still in effect as long as the Drow were animated by portal magic. When the evil elves bore enough damage, they became engulfed in a flare of light, which then flew into the air and retreated back into the big portal.

Firing off arrows from the woods boundary was, of course, Flameslinger, never letting up in his assault. The Drow abandoned Matt and charged for the Skylander, but most went down before they even came close.

This was good, for the elf was clearly struggling just to stay standing. He hadn't taken any damage, but his body was alight with bursts of magic, and his mouth was curled into a strained grimace.

"Hurry up!" he called behind him, his movements growing sluggish. "I can barely move!"

Whirlwind, who was supporting Claire and helping her to the big portal, grunted and barked back. "I'm no better off than you!"

She spoke the truth, for her own feathery hide was also flashing uncontrollably, and her limbs grew heavier with every step.

After what seemed like an hour, Claire reached the portal, and the moment she touched it, her head snapped up, eyes fully focused and mini portal glowing bright. Two orbs of light flew out of Claire's portal and shot straight into Whirlwind and Flameslinger, causing them to immediately perk up as well, the sparks and flashes ceasing.

Rejuvenated, Whirlwind flew to Flameslinger's aid. The dragoness hurled rainbows from her lit horn left and right, and flapped her wings to create electrified storm clouds as a protective barrier. Flameslinger's assault increased in intensity, and his movements became more fluid.

The Drow, needless to say, didn't stand a chance, except for the Goliath, who remained unscathed by using his shield bashers to…well, shield himself. Once all his brethren had been defeated, he let out a mighty bellow and pile drove straight through the tempest clouds, shrugging off the damage like it was nothing.

He knocked Flameslinger aside and plowed straight into Whirlwind, who squawked and peppered him with rainbows to the face. Seeing that it had little effect, however, she retreated into the treetops to continue her barrage of color from there.

Holding his arms over his head to nullify Whirlwind's attacks, the Goliath grinned and advanced on Claire, who was painfully aware running away would leave her Skylanders powerless again. She was scared, and every instinct blared in her head to run to safety: it took all of her willpower to keep her hands on the portal and dig her feet firmly into the ground.

The Goliath reached the side of the portal opposite Claire and made ready to leap at her.

"Urrgh!"

"Hyah!"

Matt and Flameslinger together rammed into the Drow from behind, and with an accurate shot from Whirlwind, he toppled into the portal with an enraged roar. The portal flashed and the Goliath was gone, presumably back to where he came from.

Claire let out a shaky breath of relief, and the guys did likewise as Whirlwind fluttered down to meet them.

"Are you alright, Claire?" Flameslinger asked, beating Matt to it. Claire forced a reassuring smile, her heart still racing.

"Scared out of my wits…but otherwise, fine."

"So, uh, the Skylanders are moving around…" Matt observed, scrutinizing Flameslinger. "Care to explain?"

"Eon taught me how to bring them to life on Earth, but they run on my own portal magic, so if I run out, they revert back, and I get weak," Claire explained. "Also, Eon said he'll teach you later. That's about the gist of it."

"Oh." _So that's how Kaos could send the Drow here._

"Thank goodness we got to the portal in time!" Whirlwind chirped.

"Yeah, otherwise that would've been bad for me," Matt remarked. "My Skylanders are still tired from their own fight."

Before anyone could question the plural in his sentence, a three-dimensional image of Kaos rose up out of the portal. Flameslinger nocked an a smoldering arrow to his bow and Whirlwind lit up her horn in the colors of the rainbow, both Skylanders keeping their weapons trained on the evil portal master.

"**Don't look so smug, **_**apprentice**_** portal masters!"** Kaos scorned. **"You got lucky this time!"**

"Kaos!" Claire fumed. "You got nerve, invading Earth like that!"

A cat-toothed grin spread across Kaos's ugly face. **"Why thank you, sweet cheeks!"**

Claire's face broke. "What'd you call me?"

"**Don't get your portal in a twist, cutie,"** Kaos continued. **"There's a lot more nerve where that came from!"**

No one saw it, but back in the fortress, Glumshanks rolled his eyes.

"If you know what's good for you," Matt approached Kaos's hologram and and pressed his face right in front of his. "You'll keep your dirty hands off our world and turn yourself in!"

"**Oh, please,"** Kaos laughed, waving a hand dismissively. **"Why would I want Earth? I just thought I'd make my life easier by getting you two out of the picture early on! As far as conquest goes, Skylands is where it's at!"**

"What are you talking about?" Claire demanded. "Why would you want Skylands over Earth? They're both entire worlds, aren't they?"

"Claire…" Flameslinger murmured. He and Whirlwind both looked grim, like they knew something the humans didn't.

Kaos broke down laughing. **"Y-you really don't know?! HA HAHAHA! Well, then, allow me, the intellectually gifted KAOS to enlighten you."**

The image shifted into a picture of Skylands' many different islands, ranging from those covered in snow to those boiling in lava, and everything in between.

"**You see, my unworthy adversaries, Skylands is very special! Each island is unique and overflowing with magic!"**

The picture zoomed out to show Skylands suspended in space, with golden ribbons of magic leading off of the world in every direction.

"**Magic so potent, it reaches through the dimensions to other worlds, like your stupid Earth."**

The humans blinked in understanding. "So what you're saying is," said Matt. "If you take control of Skylands…"

"You take control of all the worlds!" Claire finished.

"**Well, not all of them,"** Kaos admitted, his picture reemerging. **"But with that many worlds under my control, the rest will be pathetically easy to conquer!"**

"You're insane," Matt said.

"We're going to stop you," Claire warned.

"**I'd like to see you try, human FOOLS!"** Kaos spat. He crossed his arm behind his back importantly. **"After all, not only would you have to find all the conveniently banished Skylanders, AND rebuild the Core of Light (which I won't let you do, by the way), but you'd also have to do it before the Darkness spreads completely over Skylands!"**

Kaos turned away haughtily. **"So, yeah, good luck with that,"** Kaos mocked before his image evaporated.

Everyone relaxed at his departure.

"…You, know, I'm pretty sure he called us hideous when he first saw us," said Claire. "And all of a sudden he's hitting on me?"

"He must be desperate for a girlfriend," Matt said, and then clamped his hand over his mouth, realizing what he said a moment too late.

The Skylanders were shocked at his stupidity, Flameslinger's eyes practically bulging through the blindfold, and Whirlwind's wings covered her face, fearing the worst.

Claire had that calmly enraged look again, and crossed her arms. "Excuse me?"

_Open mouth, insert foot!_

"Th-that didn't come out right!" Matt said quickly. "I mean, he must be desperate if he really thinks he has a shot with you…?" he tried.

"That's better," Claire relented.

Matt sighed in relief. "This is why I usually let _you_ do the talking…"

Wishing to defuse the tension, Flameslinger spoke up. "So why don't you tell us how the mission went?"

Matt's stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket. "It went okay, for the most part. I mean, everyone escaped to safety. But Ignitor was ambushed by Kaos."

Claire's eyes widened. "That doesn't happen in the game."

"That's what_ I_ said," Matt groaned. "Anyway, poor Ignitor got his clock cleaned because there were just so many enemies, but then Jet-Vac flew in and saved him. Healed him up, too…with a sandwich." Matt frowned. He'd completely forgotten about that part. Apparently, food had potent healing properties in Skylands just like it did in the video game.

Matt firmly decided to stop questioning things from there on out. (Yeah, let's see how long that lasts.)

"Jet-Vac…" Flameslinger mused. "That name sounds familiar…"

"Of course it does!" Whirlwind perked up. "He's the new Air Skylander!"

Flameslinger snapped his fingers. "That's right! Eon recruited him a while ago!"

"He said something about not being on active duty yet," Matt recalled.

The elf brought a hand to his chin in thought. "That's probably because he hasn't been initiated yet…"

Whirlwind frowned. "It's going to be hard to do that without the Eternal Air Source…"

"We haven't gotten that far in the game," Claire stated. "But I think that's the first one we find."

"Ignitor should be at the Ruins by now," said Matt. "Why don't we go meet him and—"

_Click! Sqeeeak! _went Claire's back door as it swung open.

"Claaaire!"

Everyone froze (pun...oh, forget it). "Crap! It's my mom!" Claire hissed. "How do we shrink you back?"

As Whirlwind and Flameslinger ducked down behind the portal, Matt reached over and put his hand on Claire's mini portal. Immediately, Claire felt her magic flow cut off, and her Skylanders shrank back down into frozen statues.

Before a bewildered Claire could ask Matt how he knew to do that, Claire's mother, a blonde middle-aged woman of fair height, called out to them again from the back patio.

"Claire? Matt? Are you two still doing okay?"

Matt kept glancing back at the portal, which they weren't doing a good job of concealing, and Claire smiled nervously at her mother. "Yeah, Mom, we're fine! Didn't you get my text? We're just playing in the snow!"

Claire's mother swept her gaze over the yard, which was trampled and covered in footprints from the Drow attack. "…You've been playing pretty hard, by the looks of it. Okay, hon, just making sure you're not freezing out here! It's already lunchtime! I'm making some cocoa for the boys later, so don't forget to come inside!"

"We won't!"

With that, Claire's mom went back inside and Matt brought out his inhaler to take a puff. Claire spun around and scooped up her Skylanders, then faced Matt incredulously. "Did she not see the portal?"

"**Indeed she didn't,"** Eon's head floated out of Matt's portal. **"Humans don't have any magical capacity, so they can neither see nor touch the large portals, which overflow with portal magic, without the aid of a portal master."**

He tilted his head down toward the mini portal he hovered over. **"The mini portals, however, are much less potent, so they will not be disguised from sight."**

"…That's awfully convenient," Matt commented.

Claire put her hands on her hips and regarded her friend disbelievingly.

"Kinda like how you somehow just magically knew how to shrink the Skylanders back even though you haven't even brought them to life yet? Explain that, smart one!"

"I just knew, okay?" Matt snapped. "It just made sense to me!"

Eon furrowed his brow. **"Young ones!"**

Claire and Matt cringed at Eon's sharp tone and looked down. "…Sorry," They mumbled.

"**We shouldn't be wasting any more time here. There is the Core to rebuild and the Skylanders to be found,"** Eon said sternly, wavering from side to side for emphasis.

"Right," Claire nodded, looking down at her two Skylanders. "Let's head to the Ruins to meet the others and figure out what to do from there."

"Sounds good…" Matt agreed. "…although I kinda want some cocoa…"

"_And you think we don't?" _Whirlwind complained. _"We've been working all morning, too, you know!"_

"_Whirlwind, we already had cocoa," _Flameslinger reminded her.

"_Well, he didn't need to know that!"_

Claire snickered at her Skylanders' antics, and Matt looked confused. "Wait, when did they have cocoa?"

"Never mind that, let's go!"

"**That's more like it,"** Eon's head bobbed in approval. **"Good luck, young ones,"** he said before fading away.

The portal masters stepped up onto the big portal.

_SHEEEEOOOOW! KA-FLASH!_

…and then they were gone.

* * *

The Ruins were just that.

Ruined.

The buildings had been reduced to piles of rubble: only remnants of stone and metalwork still stood. The docks, however, had taken minimal damage, and boulders and trees remained rooted.

Apparently, the magic in the explosion had somehow preserved the natural landmarks in their places, protecting them from the surrounding destruction.

Flynn landed the balloon beneath some crumbled stone arches, and his entourage disembarked. Jet-Vac drank in the scenery, surprised at how plant life still flourished, as Hugo finished his explanation.

"…and so now, the new portal masters are looking for the other Skylanders on Earth while we take care of things here."

Jet-Vac frowned. "Sounds like they've bitten off more than they can chew."

"They don't 'ave much of a choice," Ignitor burned morosely as the group followed Hugo to the last remaining portal. "They might've chosen to help us, but there're only two of them, and three of us. We can't cover much ground until we find the others."

Just then, the portal lit up, and everyone watched as four figures emerged on its surface.

Claire's eyes widened when she remembered she was holding Flameslinger and Whirlwind, and the same realization dawned on the two reanimated Skylanders as the three of them tumbled off the portal in a heap, flattening the unfortunate portal master yet again.

Matt snorted, but wisely kept his mouth shut this time as he stepped down.

Flameslinger grunted, picking himself up off of Claire and helping her up while Matt assisted Whirlwind. "We really need to work on that," the elf remarked. Claire still had the wind knocked out of her, so she could only cough.

"Oh, good, you're here!" Hugo waddled up to them excitedly. "And you've found Whirlwind!"

"Good to see you again, milady!" Ignitor flared up at sight of the dragoness. Whirlwind giggled, shaking herself to smooth out her feathers.

"You weren't having too much fun without me, were you?" she teased.

Jet-Vac cast his hawk eyes over the group, settling on Matt. "Ah, you must be Matthew," the Sky Baron greeted. "I'm much more comfortable speaking with you in person."

"Ditto," said Matt.

"So you're Jet-Vac?" Claire wheezed. "I'm *cough* Claire."

"G'day," the Sky Baron grinned at her worriedly. "…Are you alright?"

"Yeah, *cough* fine," Claire pushed on her spine. "It's not the first time I've been *cough* crushed today."

Hugo cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, we can focus on what needs to be done."

The Mabu led the group to the round patch of earth where the Core of Light had once stood. "As you all know, without the Core of Light, Kaos is free to spread the Darkness all over Skylands. That tornado must have been his doing."

"Kaos…" Flynn muttered. "That little creep really grinds my gears. If we're taking him down, you can definitely count me in!"

"Glad to hear it, Flynn!" Hugo brightened. "Cali agreed to help, too!"

The spark of interest in Flynn's demeanor was brief, but obvious. "Cali? Ah, Cali, I've heard some things about that gal. Interesting things. If she's involved in this, count me DOUBLE in."

"Poor Cali…" Matt whispered, and Jet-Vac chuckled.

"Splendid!" Hugo enthused, and Flameslinger couldn't help but wonder if the Mabu had baited Flynn intentionally.

_Poor Cali, indeed…_he thought.

"She's waiting at Perilous Pastures," Hugo continued. "If you would go and pick her up—"

"Nice word choice," Whirlwind whispered to Claire, and they giggled.

"—I'll attend to matters here while you're gone."

"I'll go prep the balloon for take-off," Flynn dismissed himself.

"Why on Earth would she be hanging around a place called Perilous Pastures?" Matt questioned, forgetting his vow to stop reading into Skylands oddities.

Hugo adjusted his glasses. "Cali's an adventurous one, for sure, and tough. She can handle herself."

"Oh, her heroic challenges!" Flameslinger groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm not looking forward to those!"

Ignitor slumped at the elf's mention of Cali's fabled challenges, and Jet-Vac looked between them, alarmed.

"Wh-what's wrong?" he stammered. Whirlwind shook her dainty head.

"Cali's heroic challenges are how we train to get stronger," she explained. "The reward's great, but the challenges are really hard!"

"Hey, that reminds me," Matt cut in. "Back at the Shattered Island, Ignitor was…um…" he snatched a glimpse at the knight, remembering how easily the knight became disheartened, and not wanting to offend him. "…overpowered easily. Kaos said something about the Skylanders' banishment making them weaker…" He looked at Hugo. "You know anything about that?"

"**I can explain."** Master Eon's floating head reappeared once again from the Ruins portal. His bearded face was grave. **"It's true: the explosion stripped the Skylanders of much of their power. I'm afraid they will have to train themselves back up again to regain their strength."**

The Skylanders sans Jet-Vac groaned.

Claire and Matt exchanged glances, and Matt gave her the look that said, _Go ahead, say something!_

Claire beamed at the Skylanders encouragingly. "Hey, we need to train, too!" she said. "We can do it together."

That cheered the warriors up, but before anyone could reply, Eon shook his head sadly. **"That'll have to wait for now, young ones. As important as it is, there are more urgent matters to attend to. That's why I came."**

The image of the portal master shimmered out of view, replaced by that of the Shattered Island. Several balloons were landing, and Mabu passengers disembarked. **"The tornado has subsided, and the island, or what's left of it, has settled. Thanks to your efforts, the Mabu all managed to escape unharmed, but they lost their homes. Many are returning to salvage what they can from the wreckage."**

Eon's visage returned. **"I advise sending a Skylander to oversee things there. Just in case."**

"I'll go!" Jet-Vac volunteered. "I can clear away hazards with this," he hefted up his vacuum gun. "The least I can do is make good use of this without anyone having to get hurt."

Eon smiled warmly. **"I knew I wouldn't regret making you a Skylander, Jet-Vac. I believe I placed that device in the right talons. I expect great things from you as a protector of Skylands."**

Jet-Vac saluted, chest puffed out proudly.

Eon fixed his gaze on Hugo. **"And Hugo? You have them, yes?"**

Hugo rummaged through his backpack and brought out two tiny figurines. Matt and Claire mistook them for frozen Skylanders for a moment. "They're right here, Master Eon! Unfortunately, these were the only two I could find. The others are either lost or scattered."

"**They will do. Thank you, Hugo. Young ones,"** Eon addressed Matt and Claire as Hugo handed them the figures. **"These are Magic Items. You can place these on your mini portals to activate their abilities to assist the Skylanders."**

He gestured to Claire's Magic Item, a tiny blue, corked up bottle marked with an Ankh (A/N: pronounced "ONK", like the penguin. It's the Egyptian symbol for life.). **"That is the Healing Elixir. It will heal your active Skylanders bit by bit."**

Matt held up his figurine, a miniscule anvil inscribed with a Skylands rune. **"And that is the Anvil Rain," **said Eon. **"As the name suggests, you can use it to summon a shower of anvils from the sky."** Noticing the skepticism on Matt's face, he hastily added. **"Your active Skylanders will be magically protected, of course."**

Matt refrained from rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. "Of course," Matt pocketed the figurine.

"**Their magic is limited, and the effects only last for a matter of seconds, so use them wisely. They take time to recharge, so they can only be used approximately once per mission." **

The spirit swept his gaze over his audience. **"I believe that covers everything I wanted to share with you**," he said. **"Remember to call for me if you need anything."**

The old portal master disappeared again, leaving the group to further discuss their plan of action. Hugo spoke up first.

"I need to arrange renovations here," the mole-like Mabu said. "The Skylanders' living quarters has been completely destroyed, along with the citadel and the watchtower. I'd appreciate it if one of you could help me manage things here while the other keeps an eye on Flynn and Jet-Vac."

"I'll help you," Claire offered. "Do we have enough funds to rebuild everything?"

"Yes, we always have emergency funds stored down in my tunnel network," Hugo replied. "Once we're done, I'll get to work on locating the parts for the Core of Light."

"And I'll go back down to Earth to look for more Skylanders," said Claire.

Matt folded his arms across his chest. "I guess that leaves me to send a Skylander to Perilous Pastures with Flynn. So who wants to go?"

"I'll go," Ignitor stepped forward. He was doing his best to stand tall, but he couldn't keep his low flames from giving away his fatigue.

Matt winced at the sudden soreness in his muscles. "No, I don't think so. You're exhausted."

Ignitor sparked indignantly. "I can still fight!"

Before a full-fledged argument could break out, Flameslinger stepped in. "Why don't we swap portal masters for now? Whirlwind and I can go to Perilous Pastures, and Ignitor can head back down to Earth with Claire later."

Ignitor looked like he was about to argue further, so the elf put a hand on his shoulder. "No sense in pushing ourselves too hard. If we fall now, when there's so few of us, who knows what'll happen?"

"We'll get a game over screen?" Claire joked. Flameslinger shot her a scathing look.

Whirlwind looked at Ignitor pleadingly, begging him with her big derpy eyes not to strain himself. Thankfully, Ignitor respected the wishes of his friends. "…Alright then."

Claire was grateful for Flameslinger's show of maturity, and it hit her that this would be the first time they would be separated since they met this morning.

"So we're all agreed?" she asked. She received a general consensus. "Then let's get to it."

* * *

Perilous Pastures turned out to be not so perilous after all. In fact, it was quite peaceful: birds sang, the sun shone and a light breeze carried Flynn's craft to the islands.

Flynn set the balloon down on the grassy plain, allowing Flameslinger and Whirlwind to disembark.

"So, hey, I think we should find this Cali as soon as possible," Flynn proposed with his usual lady-killing smirk. "It's just not fair to deny the girl the pleasure of meeting me."

Flameslinger and Whirlwind groaned: they were getting rather tired of hearing it. "We get it, Flynn, you have a crush on Cali," Whirlwind said, exasperated.

Flynn feigned confusion. "Who said anything about a crush?" he said innocently. "If anyone's falling head over heels over anyone, it's Cali. And who can blame her? I mean, look at me! BOOM!"

"She hasn't even met you yet," Flameslinger pointed out, unslinging his bow from his back and readjusting his archer's glove.

"All the more reason not to keep her waiting," Flynn said smoothly, lifting up the basket hatch. "I'll scout from overhead. Meanwhile you see if you can find her on the ground." The Mabu's balloon lifted off again, leaving the Skylander duo by themselves.

"**Ready guys?"** Matthew called. He'd sent Jet-Vac back to the Shattered Island a few minutes ago, Eon having informed him that he could only send Skylanders to places he'd seen or visited, hence why a mode of transport was necessary the first time.

"You bet!" Whirlwind sang, and the two marched off toward the bridge connecting an adjacent island.

"**Different areas of Skylands have different elemental energies." **Matt heard Eon's voice ring through the portal. **"When a Skylander of the same element enters one of these areas, they will have extra power and reap extra rewards."**

_So it's like that in Skylands, too, not just the game,_ Matt thought, crinkling his nose in thought. _We're really gonna have to figure out what's going on._

"**Skylanders of the Tech element are stronger in this zone,"** Eon stated.

The runes etched into the sides of the portal took on a golden glow, and Matt saw several gears swirl around the edges of the vortex.

"And of course we don't have any Tech Skylanders yet," Matt muttered.

"We don't need the boost to get things done," Flameslinger informed him, apparently having heard him. "All I can hear are a few Chompies and Drow."

"Child's play!" Whirlwind boasted.

As the Skylanders took off down the winding path, taking out the minor enemies along the way, Matt studied their mostly peaceful surroundings. Birds flitted about and twittered cheerily, and the portal master even noticed a few very nice houses sitting along the trail. **"Seriously, why is this place called Perilous Pastures?"**

"Don't forget, Matthew," Flameslinger said as he literally blazed a trail alongside his flying dragon companion. "Most of the people who live in Skylands are Mabu, and to them, even monsters as smalltime as Chompies pose a serious threat."

"Or maybe the guy who named the place was pulling a practical joke?" Whirlwind mused. "Oooh, or maybe his name was Perilous!"

Flameslinger almost stopped mid-sprint. "I highly doubt that."

Away from the Ruins Portal, Claire was pleased to find that it didn't take too long to arrange the renovations at the Ruins.

Hugo and Claire quickly contacted some Mabu builders (one of whom's name was Bob…okay, not really!), and worked out the amount of time the restorations would take as well as the payment. Claire figured the totals to be somewhat low, all things considered: she guessed that the contractors had given them a discounted price to show their support for the Skylanders.

The workers got started immediately, and once Hugo and Claire had worked out a temporary budget, Claire brought up something that had been nagging her since her return to Skylands.

"So, where are the Skylanders going to stay while the living quarters are being rebuilt?" she asked Hugo.

The studious Mabu flipped through pages of his book, as if expecting to find her answer there. "That's up to you and the Skylanders. Most of them have homes throughout Skylands to go back to, but since you said Kaos is launching attacks on your world…" he let the sentence hang.

"…then maybe they should come back with us as extra insurance," Claire picked up. She pressed her lips into a thin line. "I don't think they'd appreciate sleeping on my dresser as frozen statues…"

Ignitor, who had decided to make himself useful by scrounging about for anything salvageable, trotted up, looking a bit healthier now that he'd had some time to rest. "It's no need for concern, milady," he assured her, burning bright. "It's really not as uncomfortable as one might think."

"Are you sure?" Claire asked. "It just seems like asking too much. I know I'd be uncomfortable sleeping in someone else's house on another world entirely."

Ignitor flared. "Milady, we Skylanders have camped out in less-than-desirable places on multiple occasions. Trust me when I say that sleeping on a dresser as a statue is not a cause of concern."

"Er, okay then," Claire conceded. "We're about finished up here. Are you ready to go?"

"Always!"

"Alright. Head over to the portal and I'll meet you there."

"Right-o!"

Ignitor did as he was instructed, and once he was out of ear(?)shot, Claire leaned over and muttered to Hugo. "When he says 'less-than-desirable'…"

Hugo didn't look up. "Ever heard of Stinky Swamp?"

"That's all I need to know."

Claire bade Hugo farewell and met up with Ignitor and Matt at the Ruins portal. Matt looked up from his conversation with Flameslinger and stepped aside, allowing Claire to see her Skylanders in action.

"**How you doin', guys?"**

Flameslinger looked up and casually fired off an arrow, hitting a Chompy. Whirlwind was too busy fighting to respond. "I don't know how you put up with this guy," the elf responded jokingly. "He's unbelievably bossy!"

Matt smirked. "Yep, I minored in micromanagement."

Claire laughed. **"Don't worry; you'll be back in my capable hands in a little while."**

She watched the Skylanders emerge onto what appeared to be the last open stretch on the island chain. There was a large, double-barreled turret squatting in the center, facing a heavily locked gate barring the far edge.

Several Drow spearman and a few Chompy pods inhabited the area, and as Flameslinger and Whirlwind took their first steps onto the plain, Flynn drifted up in his balloon to meet them.

"Hey, I found Cali, and, uh, she's not half bad…Oh yeah, and she's been captured by a bunch of evil Drow. We gotta save her so she can get on with more important things…like thanking me. BOOM!"

"That's great, Flynn," Flameslinger said irritably. "Anything else you'd like to contribute?"

Flynn didn't seem to catch the sarcasm. "Over there! That cannon looks like it could be useful. It looks like the only thing that can break the locks on the gate."

"Looks more like overkill to me," Claire remarked.

Flameslinger and Whirlwind pelted the enemies with their ranged attacks before they could draw too close, Matt calling out alerts pertaining to any Drow trying to sneak their way into attacking range.

Ignitor addressed Claire. "They've got things under control here. We should go and look for the others."

"Alright, move over, Matt."

Claire touched the big portal with her gloved hand, and it reacted by dimming her vision like it wanted to show her something.

_Where are you, guys…?_

A few tiny lights flickered in her mind's eye, which quickly took on familiar shapes.

"Right nearby, there's Double Trouble, Sonic Boom, Drobot, and…" her eyes blinked open in confusion, and Matt watched her expectantly. "…Chop Chop?"

"Chop Chop?" Matt parroted. "Did you bond with him?"

Claire shook her head. "I spoke to him once, and that was right before Kaos's attack." She tilted her head. "So it must have been you."

"That's impossible!" Matt exclaimed, cringing when he remembered that Chop Chop had said those exact words upon meeting him that morning. "That guy hates me!"

"He did seem a bit untrusting…" Ignitor remarked. "Perhaps you two have a deeper connection than what's expected."

"What do you mean?"

"He means," said Claire. "That maybe you two have something in common."

"Exactly, like a shared sentiment," Ignitor elaborated.

Matt actually laughed. "Heh, right! I bet he'd just _love_ to share his sentiments…with my throat!"

Claire turned back to the portal, gesturing for Ignitor to do likewise. "Believe what you want. The fact of the matter is that you're bonded to Chop Chop, not me. Now if you'll excuse us, we're going down to Earth."

* * *

Jet-Vac had expected to see many sad faces upon arriving to the Shattered Island: the whole place was even worse off than the Ruins. Crumbled chunks of earth mixed with obliterated architecture formed mounds of rubble that could've easily been mistaken for small hills.

The balloons were landing on any open spaces they could find, and while the Mabu definitely showed traces of sadness, Jet-Vac was surprised to see how at ease they were with the whole scenario.

The Sky Baron appeared in a beam of light that whipped up quite a gust, as Whirlwind would've said. Many Mabu noticed his arrival and called out thank you's to the Sky Baron as he traversed the remnants of the town.

"I don't understand," he consulted a citizen as he blew away some rubble. "This isn't exactly a happy occasion. Why is everyone so…upbeat?"

The Mabu took off his propeller beanie and scratched his head with a pudgy paw. "We're all just so relieved we all made it out okay. Not a single one of us hurt! It's only thanks to you Skylanders, of course!"

"Don't forget the portal masters, Rizzo!" another Mabu wearing a pan on his head reminded him. Rizzo's face lit up at the mention.

"Of course, the portal masters, too, Snuckles! Say, is it true that Master Eon has taken on apprentices?"

Jet-Vac blinked. "Uh, yes, but how did you know that?"

Yet another Mabu who heard the conversation waddled up to them. "While we were evacuating, Eon's assistant, that mole guy, filled us in." He sounded like had a cold, but seemed to know what he was talking about. "It's a real shame to hear about Eon after everything he's done for Skylands, but even he needed to retire sometime."

"Only, he didn't retire, Blobbers," Snuckles corrected. "He was caught in the explosion that banished the Skylanders to that other world!"

Blobbers looked at Snuckles sadly. "I know, Snuckles, but even if it hadn't happened, Eon wouldn't have had much longer until his power ran out."

"Speaking of that other world," Rizzo tried to change the subject. "Aren't the new portal masters from there?"

Jet-Vac nodded. "That's right. They're humans from Earth."

Blobbers almost fell over. "Earth?! By Pythagoras's theorem, no one from Earth's been to Skylands in centuries!"

"It's a good thing they showed up when they did," a fourth Mabu wearing a Viking helmet (oddly enough) entered the conversation. "I don't want to think about what might've happened if they didn't!"

"Say, Skylander," Rizzo addressed Jet-Vac. "I've just noticed that you're a Sky Baron…"

Jet-Vac powered off his vacuum and turned his hawk head to the Mabu. "And you're wondering where my wings are, right, mate?"

Rizzo nodded, glad that it wasn't a touchy subject. "Yeah, and where you got that sweet jet pack!"

Jet-Vac looked away and got back to clearing debris. "I…gave them up. Then Master Eon himself gave me this so I wouldn't be grounded."

"Ah, I see…" Rizzo trailed off. So it was a touchy subject after all. "…Oh, look, a Story Scroll!" The Mabu bent over and tugged a piece of paper loose from the wreckage.

"I've heard of those," Jet-Vac remarked. "Eon wrote those to keep the populace informed about current events involving portal masters, right?"

"That's right!" Rizzo handed it to Jet-Vac. "You can keep it, if you want. Actually, I bet it would help the new portal masters a lot!"

Jet-Vac read the scroll aloud. "'While the shape and size of portals vary, under the control of a true portal master, these mystic devices can connect two points in Space, Dimension and, if we are to believe ancient legends, even time. Portal masters can then send Skylanders and magic to the other side.'"

Jet-Vac pocketed the scroll. "Thanks much, mate. The portal masters will really appreciate it."

"Maybe they'll like this, too!" Snuckles tottered up with a rather creepy looking piggy bank. "I don't really need it anymore, but maybe the portal masters can find a use for it!"

Jet-Vac stifled the grimace playing on the edge of his beak. _Why would they ever need such an ugly thing?_ He thought as he accepted the monstrosity. "Er, thanks, I'm sure they will…"

The other three Mabu appeared to share the Sky Baron's opinion. "Uh, at the very least," the Viking hat Mabu said. "It can serve as a memento for all the good you did here, Skylander."

"Good thinking, Nort!" Blobbers said a little too quickly. Snuckles didn't catch the message, to the group's relief.

"So, where do you all plan to stay?" Jet-Vac asked.

Rizzo brightened. "Nort, Snuckles and I are going military! We're gonna show everyone that Mabu can stand up for themselves! First, we're going after the trolls!"

"Yeah, but Blobbers chickened out!" Snuckles poked fun at his friend, but Blobbers didn't look embarrassed at all.

"No sir, the military's not for me. I've got a big brain, but pretty puny muscles. So I'm heading down to the Molekin Mines to look for an opening there."

"What about everyone else?" Jet-Vac asked.

"They're taking refuge with friends and family until more permanent arrangements can be made," said Nort. "Many are hoping the Lost Islands will appear again soon."

"The Lost Islands?"

"Yep!" Snuckles confirmed. "They're, uh, really special islands that, uh…" he scratched his head, as was the Mabu inclination. "What makes them so special again?"

"The Lost Islands are a cluster of special islands somewhere in Skylands," Blobbers filled Jet-Vac in. "Like portal masters, they only seem to appear when they're needed most to offer refuge to people like us who lost their homes. And now that Kaos is out for conquest, it only makes sense that they'll reemerge."

Jet-Vac listened with interest. "Do you suppose only a portal master can find them? With their magic or something?"

Blobbers shrugged. "No one knows. There are several search parties out hoping to find them, but so far, nothing."

Jet-Vac tilted his beak upward. "Did you hear that, Matt?"

"**Hang on—guys! Drow spearman on your three!"**

The Mabu all jumped and warily looked around for the enemies, but Jet-Vac just sighed.

"**Uh, sorry…I didn't switch connections fast enough…"** Matt said sheepishly (Sheep: I'm on vacation, but here's a troll to fill in for me. Wooly Troll: Moo!)

Jet-Vac shook his head, knowing Matt would see it. "The Mabu folk here are searching for something called 'The Lost Islands'. Do you think you can search for them with that magic of yours?"

"**Um, honestly, I think we better ask Claire,"** Matt suggested. **"From what I can tell, she's better at finding things with the portal than I am."**

"Fair enough," Jet-Vac consented.

"**You doing okay over there?"**

Jet-Vac eyed the ugly piggy bank in his talon, then the piles of wreckage he had yet to clear. "Could be better."

* * *

Chop Chop was not happy.

Not only had the Skylanders lost the battle, the Core of Light, Master Eon, and their size and mobility, but all they had to show for it were those two incompetent humans allied with them.

No, that was a bit harsh. The human portal masters hadn't struck the Arkeyan as incapable…but they were children, for portal's sake! Granted, even Eon had started from from bottom rung, but that wasn't what Skylands needed right now. Did Eon really expect them to be of any use?

And that Matthew character…Chop Chop wasn't sure what to think (wait, did he have a brain?). He'd only been suspicious in the beginning because humans couldn't normally use portals, and the kids had checked out alright when Eon proved them to be portal masters.

Even so, something about the boy's demeanor didn't sit right with him. Matthew just seemed so passive, even despite the few displays of emotion he'd witnessed. And whenever he and the girl were together, he had her do the talking for the both of them; where was the chivalry in that?

The girl…Claire, her name was. She was friendly enough, and Chop Chop had yet to see much of her personality, but from what he could tell, she was bubbly, like Whirlwind, yet shy. He could see why Matt was so concerned for her welfare, and that's where Chop Chop's opinion of Matt shifted.

He cared very much for the girl, and made it clear that he would do all in his power to ensure her safety even without the Skylanders' assistance. He definitely respected that, even if it was borderline foolhardy. He had walked Skylands for thousands of years, and had only rarely encountered such devotion.

Of course, none of his musings mattered now. The skeleton was immobile, resting in the snow by a white box, powerless to help the citizens of Skylands who, no doubt, were in peril. He had no idea where he was, except that he was on Earth, where hopefully, the new portal masters were searching for him.

"_Portal masters? Can you hear me?"_ he had been calling out for hours now, and was ready to resign. _"Of course they can't hear me. They're amateurs. It may take years for them to—"_

"Chop Chop?"

Claire and her entourage of newly recovered Skylanders had arrived. In her gloved hands, she held the figurines of Drobot and Ignitor (Claire had brought the knight to life earlier, but his flames melted the snow around him, which left rather suspicious-looking patches of bare earth), and standing/floating next to her was Sonic Boom and Double Trouble, none the worse for wear.

The baby griffins were ecstatic about all the snow, and since no one was around, Sonic Boom allowed them to play to their hearts' content, so long as they didn't stray too far. Zeke, Claus and Taylor were having the time of their lives, but Heather was chilly, so she once again snuggled into Claire's scarf on her shoulder.

"I can tell you're in there, but I can't see you," Claire called out again, scratching the purring Heather's head.

Chop Chop shook off his surprise at being found so quickly. _"Where is here, exactly?"_

Ignitor snorted at his choice of words, but no one paid him any mind. Chop Chop continued, _"The only thing I can see is a white box."_

Sonic Boom answered him. "Chop Chop, darling, you're surrounded by white boxes…Claire says they're her neighbors' beehives."

"_What?!"_

"Relax!" Claire said. "It's the dead of winter, the bees aren't about to come out any time soon! My grandparents are beekeepers, I know this stuff." She looked over at Double Trouble. "But I'd rather not take any chances."

The tiki man nodded his mask. "Ooga booga, I catch your drift." He lifted his hands above his head and, with a flash, summoned a clone. The little tiki bounced in place before trotting through the rows of boxes.

"Ooga, my clones can see for me, booga," Double Trouble explained to his female companions. "This shouldn't take long, booga."

The little clone babbled merrily when he saw the tiny armored skeleton nestled in a snow drift at the foot of a beehive. Smiling broadly, he picked up Chop Chop in his teeth and scampered back to the group.

The double deposited the Skylander into Double Trouble's outstretched blue hand, and the shaman held him up and inspected him. "Ooga, you okay, Chop booga?"

Chop Chop didn't speak tiki, but he got the message. _"…I don't think I've ever been more humiliated in my unlife."_

Double Trouble grinned and handed the figure to his portal master. "He's okay, booga."

Claire looked down at Chop Chop. "Ready to stop being frozen?"

"_PORTAL MASTER CLAIRE, CURRENT PORTAL MAGIC LEVELS ARE AT 36%." _Drobot droned. _"I DO NOT ADVISE EXPENDING ANY MORE."_

"Oh," Claire mumbled, regarding the tiny skeleton with sympathy. "Sorry, Chop Chop. Don't worry, you're the last Skylander that landed nearby, so we're heading back to Skylands."

"Children!" Sonic Boom called. "It's time to go!"

The tiny griffins stopped playing and looked down. "Aww, Mom…" Zeke whined, and his siblings followed suit.

"Don't bother, guys," Taylor said. "We're about to go back in the shell anyway."

No sooner than the words left her beak, egg shells spread over their diminutive bodies, sealing them up into a clutch of flawless eggs. Claire grabbed the griffin egg on her shoulder before it could topple off, but it proved unnecessary as the eggs all flew to Sonic Boom. She stored them safely beneath her wings and sighed.

"Don't worry, darlings," she cooed. "We'll figure out how to fix this someday."

"Boo boo boo!" the clone hopped up and down excitedly, and Double Trouble's eyes widened.

"Ooga get back!" he cried, grabbing Claire and Sonic Boom and hauling them away from his clone.

It wasn't a moment too soon. The clone exploded on the spot, the loud pop shaking the ground and the beehives.

Claire and company listened with horror as a low buzzing filled the air, steadily increasing in volume.

"…Time to go!" said Claire, powering up her mini portal.

_Fwash!_

The burst of light engulfed the group and deposited them right in the middle of the road…approximately 10 yards away from the beehives.

Claire stomped her foot. "DRAT!"

"_INCOMING VEHICLE: CONTACT IN T-MINUS FIVE SECONDS."_

Everyone whirled around to see a truck careening down the road right toward them. The portal master and Skylanders screamed, and Claire hurriedly held up her portal again.

_Fwash!_

As the second flash faded, the group found themselves in the branches of the tree in the neighbors' backyard. Sonic Boom, being a cat/bird hybrid, had no trouble keeping her balance, and Double Trouble hovered as usual, but poor Claire was forced to cling to a high branch with her arms wrapped around it.

She heard Chop Chop sigh from her coat pocket as she dangled, and Drobot whirred as if nothing had happened.

"_WARNING: CURRENT MAGIC LEVELS AT 16%. IMMEDIATE RECHARGE ADVISED."_

"…I give up."

* * *

It was evening when everyone met back up in Skylands at the Ruins.

Cali, a lovely feline Mabu with a fashion sense surprisingly similar to Flynn's (complete with red bandana to match his scarf), had been thrilled to meet the Skylanders face to face. Upon meeting Flynn…not so much. Not that the pilot seemed to notice her indifference, much to her chagrin. Flameslinger and Whirlwind sympathized with her.

Three sheep had hitched a ride on the rope of Flynn's balloon, and were now prancing about the Ruins aimlessly, something Hugo, for some reason, was very upset about.

Matt withdrew Jet-Vac from the Shattered Island when he was finished helping the residents, who, thanks to his assistance, had managed to reclaim a sizeable chunk of their undamaged belongings. The Sky Baron was eager to get the atrocious piggy bank off of his talons, so Matt now held it with an uncomprehending stare.

Claire returned to Skylands quite tired, but she still remembered to send the Skylanders in first to prevent another dog pile.

Chop Chop was quite content to be mobile once more, and swung his blade several times, as if concerned that his skills had dulled after just one day of inactivity. Despite only having just met him, Matt wouldn't have put it past him.

Everyone was exhausted and hungry, but happy that they had made such headway over the course of one day. They all gathered around the portal to eat dinner (Hugo apparently stored food in the tunnels), and discussed their progress.

"So, what was that you were saying about some islands?" Matt asked Jet-Vac. The Sky Baron looked up from his cheese wedge.

"That's right, the Lost Islands," he said. "The Mabu were telling me that they only appear when needed most, like portal masters." He waved a fly away from his morsel in disdain. "Problem is, now that they're needed, no one knows how to find them."

He fixed his hawk eyes on Claire. "And that's where you come in, miss."

Claire paused in draining her juice box. "Me?"

Matt took another bite of his sandwich. "He thinks you can find them with your portal sense," he explained.

Claire stared down at her pizza slice uncertainly. "I…don't think it'll be the same as finding Skylanders. I'm not sure I can."

Drobot made a mechanical growling noise as he swallowed his bite of turkey leg. "PERHAPS I CAN LAUNCH A SCAN OF SURROUNDING ISLANDS WHENEVER I AM ON ACTIVE DUTY."

"It's a start, I suppose," Ignitor incinerated bits of ham through his armor gap as his form of eating. "But it sounds like the Mabu are in dire need of a place to settle. And if not now, then they soon will be."

Claire sighed. "It's hard to take care of everything when there's so few of us."

"That's why we need to find as many Skylanders as we can…and quickly!" said Hugo, picking at his Chinese takeout.

Claire chuckled dryly. "Guess I know how we're spending the rest of Christmas break, huh Matt?"

"Mmm," Matt hummed since his mouth was full of sandwich.

"I'll do everything I can to help," Cali offered. "My heroic challenges will toughen up the Skylanders in no time flat."

None of the Skylanders seemed to make eye contact with the Mabu girl after that statement. Flynn, of course, took every opportunity to send a charming smile her way, which usually went ignored.

"Er…ooga, Claire," Double Trouble spoke up. "Ooga, didn't you say we should stay with you tonight, booga?"

"Hugo thinks it's a good idea," Clare nodded. "Since Kaos can apparently launch attacks on Earth through our portal. Question is, are you okay with sleeping as a statue?"

"It doesn't bother me," Whirlwind piped up.

"Nor I," Sonic Boom agreed, making sure her children ate all of their watermelon. The feisty little griffins had been scooting gradually closer to the pie since they sat down.

Ignitor flickered toward Claire, and although Matt knew it was a smirk, she had no way of knowing what he was thinking until he spoke. "See, I told you it's nothing to worry about, milady."

Chop Chop, who had been (somehow) munching a pretzel quietly, finally spoke in his hushed growl. "I will remain here to guard the Ruins through the night."

"Don't you need sleep?" Claire asked, mustering the courage to look him in the orbs. Matt refused to acknowledge the skeleton's presence.

"No," the swordsman replied simply.

Whirlwind gave him a sidelong glance. "Do you really think Kaos will attack here again now that the Core's destroyed?"

"I'm not taking the risk," Chop Chop said firmly.

"I CAN TAKE GUARD DUTY AS WELL," Drobot offered. "MY SYSTEMS CAN STAY ONLINE WHILE I ACQUIRE REM SLEEP."

Chop Chop made a sound of approval and continued eating. Claire looked at Flameslinger, who was sitting next to her. The elf had hardly touched his taco, and appeared to be staring at the setting sun despite the blindfold.

"You've been awfully quiet."

Flameslinger yawned. "I'm just tired."

"We all are," Claire replied, pointing to the griffin babies, who had fallen asleep before they even finished the pie. "What a day."

"I know, right?" Flynn decided to make himself known. "It must be exhausting to watch me in action constantly, I mean my heroic piloting skills are in a league of their own!" he looked at Cali meaningfully as he spoke, who averted her gaze.

Flameslinger shook his head and grinned, too tired to be irritated with Flynn's antics. "Yeah, Flynn…truly inspiring."

Matt's Journal

_Foreword: _

_To be honest, I'm glad Claire made me start writing this all those years ago. It's kind of embarrassing reading the original entries now (I maintain it was a good decision to type them up), but our portal master friends really appreciate it. I'll tell you about wielding portal magic, something I got pretty decent at over time. Claire's diary will tell you about how to manage the Skylanders, which she got good at. Sensing a pattern, now?_

_Entry One: _

_Just to make something clear: I AM VERY LAZY. Claire is making me write this for the good of Skylands and all that…and now I feel like a bad person for not wanting to do this…I mean, writing stuff down, not being a portal master. That part's cool._

_Point being, I'm not really a writer. So, I compromised with Claire, and she said she'll write more detailed entries as long as I cover everything I know about being a portal master. Seems fair, since she thinks I'm better at using magic._

…_Feels kinda awkward to write that, but, meh._

_Anyway, today, Claire and Master Eon explained portal master bonds to me. Essentially, it's where a portal master and a Skylander become close enough friends to literally feel what the other is feeling. It can be emotional or physical: I actually sensed Ignitor's pain when he was getting hurt. I could also tell what he was feeling, which sounds awkward but is actually kinda useful, since, well…he doesn't have a face. I have to judge what he's thinking based on the intensity of his flames. Sometimes I confuse happy and angry, which is where the bond comes in handy._

_I'll talk about teleporting tomorrow._

_-Matt_

_Edit: Ugh, Claire edited most of this. Now half of it sounds like she wrote it._

(Claire's handwriting):_ That's because I _did_ write half of it!_

(The bottom note has been partially scratched out.)

* * *

**This chapter needs more cowbell—I mean, Ignitor.**

**I'd like to respond to a reviewer's suggestion, which entailed that I add the Swap Force Core Skylanders along with the Giants Core Skylanders. While that sounds like a good idea, and I was actually already considering it myself, don't expect any to appear soon: I'd rather wait until after Swap Force has been out long enough for people to familiarize themselves with the new figures (myself included). There are a lot of them this time around: 32, the number of original Skylanders!**

**What Kaos said about Skylands connecting all the different worlds is mentioned in the chapter books, but I can't remember which one. I only skimmed it, anyway, because I was thinking about getting a copy for my brothers.**

**I don't know why, but Jet-Vac strikes me as one of the less violent Skylanders, brave warrior though he is. Actually, thinking on it more, Eon made him a Skylander based on his bravery and selflessness, not his fighting prowess. So, yeah, I guess it makes sense after all!**

**So, I went back and edited the rest of the story, and I noticed that, last chapter, my time continuity was…stupid. I don't know **_**what**_** I was thinking, but I wrote that Matt and  
Claire woke up, warped to Skylands, spent about an hour and a half meeting the Skylanders, spent even **_**more**_** time getting attacked by Kaos, and after an ambiguous amount of time spent unconscious…woke up again at freaking 8:00! **

**What the heck, **_**brain?!**_

**Oy…this has been fixed so that they wake up again at 11:30. Incidentally, Flameslinger and Ignitor were the only two Skylanders away on missions that morning, and I would expect disciplined warriors to be early risers.  
**

******Update: Regarding pairings, I've decided to go strictly canon. This story is my favorite genre, Adventure/Friendship, and I see the Skylanders games as just that. Shipping, to me at least, just doesn't work, and I'm not a very good romance writer anyway, although I may give it a shot later.**** SpyroxCynder and FlashwingxBash are indeed canon (or, at the very least, hinted at), so they will be covered later, just FYI. And possibly, one more obscure one that is mentioned in one of the app games, but that may or may not be covered.**

**********(In accordance with my shorter foot note thing, much of this text will be edited out later.)**

**That's owl for this chapter of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventu—I MEAN Down to Earth! **

**Uh…see you guys later…**

**(Oh yeah, about my little sign off, one of you was curious…it's just something I do for fun, because I love owls and bad puns, and it's how I say thank you for reading. It's usually a take on "that's all for now." Although, it's hard to turn the words "owl" and "hoot" into puns…wait…OWLthough! AH, HA HA! ...I need friends…)**


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